


The Producer - A K/DA Story

by Aquilarion (orphan_account)



Category: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends) - Fandom, K-pop, K/DA - League of Legends, League of Legends
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, K/DA, Music, Music Production, Music Theory, Romance, TRUE DAMAGE, crossposted to fanfiction.net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 54,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21579085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Aquilarion
Summary: When Locke "Rebel" Willow, an orchestral composer, knows that his inability express himself creativity will be his downfall, he takes a gamble and transitions to the pop industry. He realizes that the pop industry is not what he initially thought. Maneuvering his way through a series of challenges, Rebel, along with K/DA, must find their sound if they are to earn their crown.
Relationships: Kai'Sa (League of Legends)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter One

"Did you ever think you'd be composing and producing alongside people like John Williams?" the interviewer asked.

Locke "Rebel" Willow rubbed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. This question always came up. He needed to tell Brianna to help interviewers write better questions. The bright studio lights beamed down on him from two different angles. Three cameras all captured different angles of him as he sat in a padded stark white chair. "No. And even now, it's hard to come to terms with that fact." He smiled slightly, momentarily sinking himself in the memory of when he was first introduced the John Williams. It was the day after he landed a deal with Lucasfilm, specifically, the deal that kicked off his entire career as a composer and producer. "It's crazy to me that the person whose music made up my entire childhood is now a friend and someone I can call."

"And on the topic of John Williams' music," the interviewer continued, "is it safe to assume that you'll be participating in the production and composition of the music for Star Wars Episode IX?"

Locke grinned. "I'm incredibly excited to announce that I will in fact be in the studio with John Williams and other producers for the soundtrack to Star Wars Episode IX. I'm ecstatic at the fact that Lucasfilm and Disney is allowing me to participate in the creation of another Star Wars soundtrack."

From behind the cameras another voice sounded. "And that's a cut!" Chase Hayward, lead interviewer for MTV stepped into the filming area. "God, this is why I love getting interviews of you. It's so quick and easy!"

"Thanks, Chase," replied Locke. "And the questions make it easy."

Chase rolled his eyes. "Don't sell yourself short. Anyways, you're free to go. The interview will be put up on all of MTV's platforms within two days." A short woman in a tank top approached Chase and handed him a clipboard. The interviewer sighed. "Alright, everyone get the space ready for K/DA's interview. We've got an hour before they arrive, and an hour and a half before recording begins. Let's move it!"

Locke stood up and watched the magic happen from the corner of the room. The chair was sitting in was swapped out for a sofa, an additional studio light and more cameras were brought in, and the space was cleaned and rearranged to accomodate for pop group.

Returning to the green room, Locke saw Brianna looking at the monitor recording of his interview. His assistant glanced at him as he came in. "Good work, Key. Anthony will be impressed with how you answered that last question."

"Thanks," Locke said. He grabbed his backpack and duffel bag. For a moment, he debated changing out of his clothes but he remembered that he was just going home after the interview. There was no point in changing now if he could do it later. "Let's get going. I want to be out of here before K/DA invades the place."

Brianna couldn't hide her surprise. "Wait, K/DA is on their way?!"

"In an hour, Bri," he said. "I'm not in the mood to wait for you to greet them. You've already embarrassed yourself enough in front of them."

His assistant stomped her foot. "Look, what at the Grammys was an accident. And it was totally your fault."

The producer snorted. "Yeah, you tripping over that table leg and spilling your wine straight onto Ahri's dress, which was _white_ by the way, was totally my fault."

Brianna groaned. "You've known me for years. And I'm your assistant. Please? Just this once?"

Locke glared at her. "Brianna, we can't. I have ten more tracks left to record _and_ mix before the end of the month. And you _know_ how long it takes John and his team to record." Locke shivered at the memory. The legendary composer drilled his orchestra to hell and kept his coworkers in the recording studio for hours and hours on end. The work was hard, incredibly so, but it felt even more rewarding when the finished product was heard. "Maybe some other time you'll get to hang out with them. But right now, I have to focus on finishing up the stuff for Episode IX."

The blonde girl pouted. "Fine." The pout disappeared and she reached out to him. "I'll take your duffel bag. The car's just outside."

Locke nodded. "Thank you for being so understanding, Bri."

"I know, I know. I'm such a great friend."

Ten minutes later, the duo were out of the building and on the road to Locke's apartment. Locke had the money to purchase his own house, and a fairly large one at that, but he wanted to keep his space small. Sure, he and Bri had separate rooms with their own bathrooms, a personal studio attached to the apartment, and his own walk-in closet; but, he still kept his space small. Compared to other producers, he was basically homeless in terms of estate value. Once he and Bri got home, Locke kicked off his shoes and immediately made for his studio. "Call me if you need anything," he told Bri. "I'll be in my studio."

His assistant nodded. "You got it."

Over the next few weeks, Locke took a fifteen minute drive from his apartment to Disney recording studio in Burbank. Since Episode IX recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, Locke had to wake up at ungodly hours in order to be able to join the video chat for the recording process. This, of course, was not helped by John Williams' emphasis on perfection, even when he knew that things could be fixed via mixing and audio editing.

Locke was dozing off when John's shouting came through the speakers.

"No! Again! From measure 231." His white baton tapped the top of his musical stand. "Strings, faster-paced and more frantic. I want you at _presto_ instead of _allegrissimo_. This is meant for a chase sequence. French horns, decrescendo from _forte_ to _mezzo-forte_ from 220 to 229. Trumpets, crescendo from _forte_ to _fortissimo_ from 220 to 229." The aging appearance of John Williams did not at all diminish the fear he struck into the orchestra, and his other composers. He glanced over at the monitor. "Does that sound good to everyone over there?"

No one would ever voice an opinion against the legendary composer. And, to be honest, Locke hadn't been paying attention to how it sounded. Soon enough, the orchestra began to play again, lulling Locke back to sleep.

Eventually, however, the recording of the tracks were finished. And the soundtrack to Star Wars Episode IX would be done a whole month ahead of schedule. The pieces were passed around to the four other producers on the project, each one checking on the previous' work, making sure that everything sounded perfect. And Locke was the final checkpoint before it was sent off to the director and his team.

The door to Locke's personal studio opened, his assistant peeked into the room. "Can I come in?" Brianna asked, a bowl of hot soup in her hands.

Locke nodded. He looked back to his monitor and tested the dynamics of the horns. A victorious melody blasted from his speakers, causing Brianna to flinch and nearly spill the soup on the patterned rug that laid flat on the polished wooden floor. Locke chuckled and took the bowl from Brianna as she approached from behind him and set it on his messy and cluttered desk.

"Thanks," he said with a tired smile. He'd been ceaselessly working on the soundtrack, clocking in only ten hours of sleep over the six days since he'd received the album from the last producer. It would soon pay off, however, the album was nearing completion.

His long-time friend nodded and sat on the couch positioned behind Locke so that any clients could listen and provide criticism as he produced. "You almost done with the album?" she asked, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah," Locke replied. The words scratched his throat. "After this track, I've got one more before we can send it off." He turned the volume down and played the horns again. The trumpets peaked a little too much for the intent of the track and didn't allow the sound of the french horns to come through. After more mixing and adjusting, the track was ready.

Locke played it in its entirety and leaned back in his chair. The piece had the stereotypical "Hero's Return" sound, a melancholy beginning, a redeeming middle, and a triumphant end. Considering how often Locke did these types of pieces due to how popular and successful they were, doing the mixing for the track was fairly easy.

"Sounds good," Brianna commented. She stood up and brushed her hands on her pants. The door clicked open, but before she left, she spoke up once again. "Oh, before I forget, you got an email from some _pretty_ important people."

"Who?" Locke asked. She was baiting him; he had to ask.

Brianna shrugged. "See for yourself." She shut the door.

Locke sighed. He renamed the track and saved it as Star Wars Episode IX Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - _Track 13_. "One more to go," he said to himself. After a couple more hours, he finished the last track, with a bit of personal style attached. He and Williams were close enough that Locke wasn't afraid to add a bit of flair to the composer's style. He'd done it before for Episode 8, and Lucasfilm didn't scold him then, so they probably liked him enough to let him do it again. After renaming, saving, and dragging the final track into the folder for the album, Locke prepared to send it off to the other producers.

Locke opened up the email that Brianna forwarded to him.

_K/DA - Offer to Locke "Rebel" Willow_

Locke sighed. Of course. No wonder Brianna was so damn excited about it. He continued reading the email.

_We have taken an interest in your high-quality mixing, production, and composition quality. K/DA believes that you are the best choice for their upcoming untitled studio album. If you would like to participate in the creation of this album, please reply to us using this email or call us at the given number. Thank you._

_Sincerely,_

_K/DA Management Team_

The email was surprisingly brief. Locke sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. There was no date given on when he should return, but they sent the email earlier today, so a response in two days' time wasn't unreasonable. He needed to mull the offer over.

To deny the spectacularity and beauty of K/DA was to invoke the fury of nearly all of Locke's friends, especially the girls, but he could never find it in himself to personally like the group. Sure, they were attractive and talented, from the many clips that Locke had been shown, but even through that, he considered himself far from a fan and more of a passive supporter.

When they won awards on music shows, earned a new milestone in music video views, or other such achievements, which Locke was only notified of once one of his friends brought it up, he merely nodded and noted their achievements. Funnily enough, despite his lack of fascination and passion for K/DA he couldn't deny their success, and the production quality and excellence of their music. For no other reason than wanting to see or work in their studio, Locke wished to produce something with at least one of the members, if not all of them.

Though Locke's production tended towards more classical, orchestral, or cinematic styles, it would certainly be interesting to explore the pop and hip-hop. The two fields, however, were kept separated. Pop stars, and their producers, were celebrated far more than classical musicians. Nevertheless, Locke was lucky to be working in the field of his dreams.

**/;/**

The news came out when Locke was with his friends. Of course, it was behind closed doors, and Locke ensured that they wouldn't let it be known. They all sat around in his living room, boxes of several flavors fried chicken, beer, and soju sat on the coffee table, half-consumed. While Locke himself never participated in hip-hop production, he was close friends with True Damage due to the group's collective interest in movies. They never failed to show up to the premiere of big-hit movies such as Star Wars, The Avengers, and other such movies. And Locke met the group at those same premieres.

"So," Yasuo began, leaning forward, "K/DA wants you produce their new album? And you're _still_ debating if you want to be on the project?" The white-haired DJ, producer, and member of the hip-hop group True Damage scoffed when Locke nodded his head. "They're the biggest pop group on the planet, Locke, how can you not see the value in doing this?"

"He's got a point," Senna commented as she downed another shot of soju. "What do you have to worry about?"

"A lot of things," Locke replied. "What if it doesn't go well? What if I the creative process doesn't work out? It's a lot of 'what ifs,' I know, but they still worry me. My life is going well right now, doing film scoring and the like, I don't want to ruin that by dancing with the biggest stars on the planet with also the craziest fan base on the planet."

Qiyana chuckled. "Okay, that's fair. Maybe come produce for us instead?"

Yasuo glared at the neon-haired singer and rapper. "Rude."

"Thanks for the offer, but you already have one of the best in the… what is it called? The 'rap game'?"

Almost all of True Damage facepalmed, save for Qiyana, who merely rolled her eyes.

"Just say industry, Locke. It feels weird when it comes out of your mouth," Ekko commented, looking up from his phone. The teen was a few years younger than his group mates, and it was impressive that he still bonded so well with them despite that age gap.

Senna spoke up, lifting her head off of Lucian's shoulder. "Regardless, I think you should give it a shot. Spend a few days in the studio, see if it works out creatively. If it doesn't, then you can tell them that it isn't. The girls in K/DA are really nice, and they're professionals, you can tell them if something isn't working and then they can improve upon it."

Locke sighed. Leave it to Senna to follow through with unrelentingly sensical logic. "Thanks, Senna. I'll consider it more heavily now."

"It'll be fine," she said. "Like I said, just give it a shot, if it doesn't work out, you can go back to movie soundtracks."

Locke stood up and stretched, yawning as well. "Alright, I'm kicking you guys out. I'm exhausted."

True Damage all nodded. They knew that he'd spent the last month working tirelessly on the soundtrack for the new Star Wars movie. One by one, the group cleaned up the mess they left before leaving.

"Thanks for having us," Senna said as Locke ushered them out of his apartment.

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks for the advice." Locke smiled.

"Take care of yourself, Rebel," Qiyana called, shooting him a wink.

Locke flushed and nodded. "You too, Qiyana." Shutting the door and locking it with a quiet click, Locke put his hand on his forehead. He sighed. "It's fine. Send the email tomorrow. It's rude to send emails this late."

**/;/**

_From the Desk of Lucasfilm - Locke "Rebel" Willow_

_Mr. Willow, we have received your finished soundtrack album and played it. While us at the studio thought it was perfect for the film, Head Composer John Williams had particular issues with Track 13. According to him, he said that you "entirely disregarded his decisions" and "did not utter a word to him about the changes to his piece." While we are glad to have you as a producer alongside your colleagues, Mr. Williams is the Head Composer. We suggest that you speak to him about these changes to Track 13. However, he did not have any qualms with your modifications to the other tracks._

_We have also sent you the tentative list of names for each track. Please review them and send us any criticisms._

_Thank you._

Locke growled. He raised his hand up to smack his forehead, but he quickly stopped himself. It wasn't that big of a deal, he simply needed to contact John and ask him if his change to the trumpets and french horns would be okay. Scrolling down the list of track names, Locke looked for Track 13, wondering how important it was.

He slapped himself. "The Return of Skywalker. You idiot. It's the same name as the fucking movie." It was by far the most important track on the list, and Locke was silently reminded to never _ever_ fall asleep again during an overseas recording session. After quickly drafting an email to John Williams, Locke returned to Track 13 once again. He let the piece play in its entirety, and while it sounded perfect to him, he expanded the horns section. Locke adjusted to mix and automation to what Williams initially wanted it to be. He played it again. When the trumpets suddenly overtook the french horns during the climactic end, Locke winced.

It just didn't sound right. With the rest of the piece, the trumpets never took the spotlight. They were on _mezzoforte_ and even _mezzo piano_ for nearly the whole piece. To have them suddenly appear made no sense.

As he pondered the issue, his phone rang. Locke glanced at the screen and realized it was John Williams. He cleared his throat and answered.

"Hello, John."

"Ah," the older man said. "Good morning, Locke. I just finished reading your email. It seems the company finally got to you?"

Locke chuckled nervously. "Yes, they did. Listen, I really think that Track 13 sounds better with the french horns remaining strong throughout the whole piece. The trumpets can—"

"Locke, I completely understand where you are coming from," John Williams began. "However, the trumpets rising to the front symbolize the triumphant return of the Skywalker, the rise of a great family of Force-users. It would be remiss of us to water down that return with french horns."

"But John—"

"Locke," Williams clipped. "Please change it to my previous specifications. This is the end of the conversation, do you understand?"

Locke sighed. It was in these moments that the producer in him desperately wished that _he_ was the manager instead of someone else. But, Locke understood the reasons of John Williams' argument; and who was he to argue against his resume. "I understand. I'll change it immediately and send the finalized track to you."

"Wonderful. Have a good day, Locke." With a beep, the line went dead.

Maybe it was time to give that email from K/DA a shot. Opening the email up once again, Locke dialed the number. He waited for a couple seconds before a cheery voice picked up.

"This is Ahri of K/DA! Is this the producer Rebel?"

Locke was momentarily surprised before he hastily replied, "Yes! It is. I'm calling to say that I'll gladly take you up on the offer to produce your new album."

"Great!" Ahri cheered. "He said he would do it." There was some commotion in the background, surprise, joy, excitedness. It was more than likely that the rest of K/DA was with her. "Well, we'll book you for a flight to Korea as soon as you're available."

"I'm free to leave tonight or tomorrow morning," Locke said. It wouldn't take long to finish the track for Episode IX, and he would still have enough time to pack and draft up some ideas for K/DA-sounding songs.

"He says he can leave tonight," Ahri repeated. After some time, she addressed him once again. "Tonight it is. Be at LAX by 11:15 P.M. It'll be a straight flight to Seoul, Korea. The ticket will be sent to you in a few minutes."

"Great." Locke smiled. The management worked quickly, that was good. "I'll be seeing you in a bit, I suppose."

"I look forward to meeting you personally!" Ahri giggled. "Have a good day, Rebel."

"You as well." Locke ended the call. "Brianna!"

His assistant and roommate opened the door moments later. She had her hair wrapped in a towel, and she was spreading a tan cream on her face. "What is it?"

"Get ready to go to Korea for two weeks," Locke said.

"Why—" Brianna stopped herself once she saw what was on Locke's monitor. Her jaw dropped. "You accepted?"

Locke nodded. "I did. Hurry up and back, we need to be at LAX by 11:15. And it's…" Locke looked at the clock on his monitor. "8:15. Shit. I need you to pack for me as well, I have something to mix before we fly out."

"I can do that." She turned around, but then quickly reared back. "What's your wardrobe?"

"It's Korea," Locke scoffed. "What do you think?" When Brianna didn't respond, he sighed. "Just get me outfits that'll make me look like a protagonist from one of your cartoons."

Brianna glared at him. "It's called _anime_. But fine." Her glare faded and was replaced with a grin. "Thanks for accepting."

"Yeah, yeah, just go pack for us."

**/;/**

As the plane descended from its thirteen hour journey from Los Angeles International Airport to Incheon International Airport, Locke took off his headphones that he'd had on for nearly the entire duration of the flight. The plane landed smoothly, to Locke's surprise, and began its taxi to their exiting gate. Brianna was fast asleep beside him, a sleeping mask that the airline provided shielded her eyes from the cabin lights.

He'd spent almost the entire flight creating drafts of songs for K/DA, even though he had no idea what the theme of the album was nor what K/DA's desires were. Regardless, he wanted to get some practice creating songs that sounded vaguely pop-like. After spending fifteen years listening to and learning all of the facets of classical music, it was difficult to adjust to something as structured and formatted as pop. Sure, classical had its structures, but it seemed like pop had more of them.

Reaching for Brianna's shoulder, Locke gently shook her awake. "Hey," he whispered. "We just landed."

"Mmrfh." The girl turned away from him.

He sighed and decided to let her sleep a little longer. The plane was still in taxi. Locke closed his laptop and placed it into his bag, returning his headphones over his ears. It surprised him that K/DA was still finding success in the industry after only releasing a single song. He'd had POP/STARS on repeat for the better part of an hour, tearing it apart and analyzing every inch of the song. The song borrowed from EDM, pop, k-pop, trap, and hip-hop, which impressed Locke. That was something that pop was more capable of doing than classical, as in, borrowing aspects of many genres and sounds of music.

There were always the traditionalists in the classical industry. The ones who staunchly vouched that classical remained pure, untouched by the "plague" that was modern music. Locke found those people to be stupid. Music was meant to evolve, to change with the times, and if it meant that the world would hear a unity of classical and pop, then Locke would gladly be the one to produce that song.

As the plane came to a stop at the gate, Brianna woke up to the sound of the other passengers rising to their feet and grabbing their luggage. "We're here?" she asked, tentatively lifting the sleeping mask from her eyes.

Locke nodded. Almost half of the people had already exited the plane. "Let's get our stuff. Ahri sent me her number before we went on our flight, so I'll text her that we're here once we find a place where I can get some data load."

"Okay," Brianna said with a stretch.

Locke stepped her and grabbed their carry-on luggage from the upper compartment. Handing Brianna her backpack, and putting on his own, he guided Brianna out of the plane and towards immigration. They went through the regular motions after landing, and after finally making it through luggage claim, Locke and Brianna waited for K/DA to pick them up at the front of Incheon airport.

Fortunately for both Locke and Brianna, producers didn't get much press, especially internationally. Locke was sure that if he mentioned his name to anyone they'd recognize him considering the fact that almost everyone knew that Star Wars Episode IX was on the horizon. But connecting a name to a face is incredibly difficult, especially when it came to producers who were more of a behind-the-scenes force. Even more fortunate was their arrival time, which was at 5:30 in the morning. After waiting for a little over twenty minutes, a black van rolled up to where they were waiting.

"Nervous?" Brianna asked with a glance at him.

Locke chuckled. "Who wouldn't be? We're meeting the biggest pop stars on the planet. I figured that you would be more nervous than me."

Brianna smiled. "I'm a little nervous."

The doors to the van slid open and a woman stepped out of the van. Locke was left almost breathless. The videos didn't do Ahri justice. She was even more beautiful in person. Of course, the ears and tails were fake, but her honey-pool eyes and long, silky blonde hair seemed real enough.

"I'm glad I could finally meet you, Rebel," Ahri commented as she stepped towards him. Somehow, even at the crack of dawn, fans managed to notice the pop star and screamed her name. "Unfortunately, we should hurry back to the K/DA house. The others are still asleep. You can meet them when you get there."

"Right." Quickly, Locke stepped into the van, following behind Ahri as she sat in the passenger seat. He placed his luggage onto the empty window seat to his left, leaving the seat to his right open for Brianna.

"S-so," Brianna began with a stutter. She cleared her throat. "What's the plan for our time here?"

Ahri looked back at Brianna with a curious look. "Are you his assistant?"

"Uh, yes, I am."

"Well, take note of this," Ahri began. "We'll be spending today finding you guys a place to stay if you don't want to stay at the K/DA house, then we'll have lunch with all of the members at around noon, then we'll go to the studio and see how our new producer likes the space before we get to work brainstorming what the album will contain, then we'll throw our own little party in thanks for Rebel accepting our offer." Ahri smiled at Brianna. "Did you get all that?"

Brianna looked up from her phone and nodded. "All of it's on here. Thank you, Ahri."

The pop star seemed genuinely surprised that Brianna managed to take in all of the sudden and quick information. She looked at Locke. "You have a good assistant, Rebel."

Locke shrugged. "She's alright."

**/;/**

Locke Willow knew that K/DA was impossibly successful. But he never expected them to live in such a grandiose, beautiful estate; he couldn't even bring himself to call it a house, it was more than a house. His apartment was diminutive in comparison to the space that K/DA called home. To come to terms with the fact that only four girls lived here was mind boggling.

"Impressed?" Ahri asked as the driver signaled the gate to their driveway opened.

"Yeah, that's one word for it." Locke chuckled.

"Consider it your first taste of what it's like to be a part of the K/DA team then."

The car came to a halt at the front of the garage. Ahri stood up and opened the door, stepping out first. Locke quickly offloaded his and Brianna's luggage. He took a moment to take in the sights of the K/DA house. As often seen in the buildings of Gangnam, Seoul, the entire house was made with every facet of modern architecture that Locke knew of: floor-to-ceiling glass windows cleaned and shined to perfection, solid colors to paint the concrete base and natural stone accent walls, the four separate balconies had a decorative and complicated aluminum rooftop over them, all added to the extravagance of the K/DA house. In front of the garages, the lawn was immaculate with trimmed grass and stone pathways accompanied by a gorgeous array of flowers and bushes. At the end of the stone pathway was a small garden kept in the shadows by a large oak tree. Within the garden, Locke noticed there was a shrine.

"If you like, I can give you two a tour of the inside," Ahri said, drawing Locke from his stupor.

Locke bobbed his head. "That'd be great."

Ahri motioned for the driver. "Can you take their luggage to the guest rooms?"

The driver nodded and took the luggage from Locke and Brianna. He motioned for Locke to hand him his backpack as well.

"Oh, I'll just keep the backpack on me. Thank you, though." Locke bowed his head.

The driver nodded once again and disappeared around the back of the house.

Ahri unlocked the front door by placing her thumb against a monitor of some kind. A moment later, the monitor beeped and the door slid open.

"Welcome home, Ahri," a robotic voice uttered.

" _So cool_ ," Brianna breathed.

"Dream all you want, Bri, we'll never be buying something like that."

Ahri chuckled. "Come on in. We still have half an hour before Kai'sa wakes up." The leader of K/DA gave Locke and Brianna a brief tour of the house, showing them the basics and the coolest parts of it. It seemed that the pop group had a lot of interesting hobbies. Locke never took Akali to be such an avid gamer, nor Evelynn to such a large collection of guitars. But more interestingly, Ahri said that Evelynn played the guitar incredibly well as she learned it from Pentakill's Mordekaiser. Locke made a mental note that he would have to ask Evelynn to play sometimes.

"I'd show you her cars," Ahri said as they passed by the garage door. "But Eve loves to show her 'babies' off."

"I completely understand." Locke lightly flushed. Whenever anyone new came over, Locke always showed off his collection of antique violins and MIDI keyboards. He was proud of his collection, but he was slightly ashamed to admit that some of the violins cost well over $30,000. Maybe even $70,000.

Ahri finished her tour in the living room. A creamy white room on the first floor with one wall made entirely of glass that allowed for a beautiful view of the garden and the rest of Seoul. A black coffee table rested in the center of a pale, U-shaped sofa. The polished oak floor was covered by a black and white patterned fur rug.

Locke sat on the couch on the opposite side of Ahri. Brianna had gone to her room to sleep. "So," Locke began in an attempt to know more about the famous pop star, "what is there to know about you?"

Ahri hummed and crossed her legs. "What don't you know?"

"I'm not the greatest fan," Locke commented. "So I haven't seen every interview of you and K/DA."

"How disappointing."

Locke shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint. But seriously, answer my question."

"We'll trade," Ahri suggested; a smile danced across her lips. "You ask me, I'll answer honestly. Then I ask you, and you answer honestly."

Locke grinned. "Alright, fair enough."

"Great." Ahri flashed him a grin of her own. "I'll start: what do you think of K/DA and our music?"


	2. Chapter Two

Locke laughed, genuinely laughed at Ahri's response to him asking her whether or not she enjoyed what he composed.

The pop star crossed her arms beneath her chest and pouted. "Cut me some slack, I'm a busy girl. It's hard for me to listen to a song that's ten minutes long."

"Alright, that's fair, that's fair." Locke chuckled. "Your turn."

"Why did you accept the offer?"

Locke smiled. "Wow, getting straight to it, huh?"

Ahri nodded.

"Well," Locke rubbed the back of his head. "I just wasn't happy with the environment that I was put into while working with Lucasfilm and with other companies in the film industry." At Ahri's surprised reaction, Locke continued. "There wasn't much room for creativity and self-identity, even when it came down to the smallest details. It was always about the bottom line, and what the executives wanted. I got sick of it, so I decided to experiment and take you up on your offer."

Ahri hummed. "I see." She stood up and brushed some invisible dust off of her black leggings. "Kai'Sa should be heading down any second now. Once she's down here we'll start cooking breakfast." The blonde pop star disappeared into the kitchen, and Locke heard her grabbing pots and pans.

"Sounds good." He reached into his backpack and pulled out his laptop and headphones. "Ahri," he called, "mind if I use an outlet to charge my laptop?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "That's fine."

Locke plugged his laptop into a nearby outlet, slid on his headphones, and began to draft another song. But for some reason, he couldn't pull away from the use of classical instruments. Predictably, he returned to using what he'd been comfortable with for the longest time. It wasn't that he was afraid to expand his horizons, he simply couldn't figure out ways to produce anything he found good using typical pop instruments and sounds.

After thirty minutes of working, Locke felt someone tap his shoulder. He removed his headphones. "Yeah?"

"Food's ready," Ahri said with a smile. She looked at the screen. "What'cha working on?"

"It's nothing special. Just trying some new things."

"Can I listen to it?"

All of a sudden heat flooded through Locke's cheeks. He was suddenly nervous, and his hands were growing clammy. He wasn't sure why Ahri asking him if he could listen to one of his early tracks was different from Brianna or anyone on True Damage. He coughed. "Yeah, sure. Don't expect too much," he said with a small smile. He handed her the headphones.

Sliding on the headphones, Ahri pressed play.

In truth, Locke wasn't sure what the piece even sounded like. He was just messing around, trying to find ways to mix pop instruments with classical instruments. After two minutes, Ahri removed the headphones.

"It's certainly… interesting," Ahri commented. "I can see why they love having you on film scores."

"Thanks," Locke said. "I've never really done anything like a studio album for a pop artist, but I can promise that I'll be doing my best to learn as much as I can."

Ahri nodded. "C'mon, I want to introduce you to everyone."

Locke had entirely forgotten that the rest of K/DA were waiting for him to eat. He shot to his feet and followed Ahri to the dining room, nearly tripping over the cable from his laptop to the nearby outlet.

Seated at the dining table were the other three members of K/DA and Brianna.

Kai'Sa wore an oversized cream white tank top that showed off her pale, mile-long legs; she kept her electric indigo hair up in a ponytail, and her purple eyes flickered over the Locke as he entered the room. She waved and smiled at him.

Akali had her foot on the chair and her knees pulled to her chest which was covered by a black crop top, and she wore a pair of black spandex. Her dark purple hair was also up in a ponytail. She flicked through her phone, and offered Locke a meager wave, following Kai'Sa's lead.

Amber eyes met ice blue as Evelynn and Locke stared at one another. Evelynn smirked as though she were sharing a private joke with someone. She kept her electric pink hair down, letting it flow like pink water over her black t-shirt complemented by black leggings. Locke's gaze traced down Evelynn's legs.

The producer looked away when he realized he was staring too long. "Hi, everyone," he said. "I'm Locke, nice to finally meet all of you."

"Nice to meet you," Kai'Sa said.

"'Sup." Akali smirked, definitely noticing Locke staring at Evelynn.

"Hi," Evelynn purred, also definitely noticing that Locke had stared at her.

Locke sat in the only available chair, which was between Evelynn and Brianna, the latter of which looked like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Not that he could blame her, she was seated at breakfast with her biggest idols.

"So," Kai'Sa began in an attempt to bring conversation to the table that was only filled with the sounds of utensils clattering and mouths chewing. "Do you prefer being called Locke, Rebel, or something else?"

"Locke or Rebel is fine," the producer replied after swallowing a mouthful of exquisitely cooked scrambled eggs. "Who made all of this?"

Ahri spoke up. "Me and Kai'Sa." She pointed to Akali and Evelynn. "If let these two cook, they could only burn the kitchen down instead of making food."

"Hey, I can make ramyun!" Akali protested through a mouthful of french toast.

"Rogue," Evelynn replied, "anyone can make ramyun. Especially if its in a package. And chew your food before you speak."

"Sorry, Eve." Akali bowed her head.

"Tell us about yourself, Rebel," Evelynn said, looking over at him. Their eyes met once again, and Locke tore his gaze away from the woman's alluring amber eyes.

"There isn't much to tell."

"Try me," Evelynn breathed.

"Eve," Ahri scolded. She sighed. "Maybe tell us how and why you became a composer or producer?"

"That's a long story."

"Well, you're with us all day," Evelynn stated.

"Fair enough,"conceded the producer. "Well, I guess it began when I finished high school. I went straight to University of California Los Angeles' music program."

"You went to school?" Akali asked, surprised by that fact.

"I did. I knew that a lot of employers in my field valued education, especially if it came from a prestigious college."

"I… see." Akali pouted slightly.

"You know," Locke interjected once he noticed the girl's frown. "Not going to school doesn't make you stupid or anything, it just means you chose a different path in life."

"He's right," Brianna said, speaking up for the first time since they got to the K/DA house. "I mean, he failed his first year entirely and somehow he managed to find success."

Akali winced. "What did your parents say about that?"

The temperature and mood around the table suddenly dropped. Locke looked down at the ground. His hands began to shake, but Brianna placed her own over them. She smiled sadly at him.

"You don't have to tell them," she murmured.

Locke nodded weakly. "They— they didn't have much to say." Mostly because they couldn't. Only Brianna knew about his parents' fate. The producer kept his personal life guarded, even more guarded than most celebrities. No one knew the name of his parents, and, more than likely, no one knew the name of his younger sister; and he preferred to keep it that rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly in an attempt to disperse the unease. "Well, getting back on topic, you can't really account for luck."

That earned Evelynn's interest. "What do you mean by that?"

"Even before UCLA, I'd been composing and producing for a few years. I had put a few of my tracks up on the internet, you know, like YouTube or Soundcloud. Someone at Blizzard found my pieces and reached out to me."

"Blizzard? The game company?" Akali asked, excitement evident in her tone.

"The very same." Locke cleared his throat. "Anyways, they wanted me to go to their studio for an interview. I accepted, and the next thing I knew, I was composing and producing music for Overwatch World of Warcraft."

"Ov-Overwatch?!" Akali shot out of her seat. "Which songs did you make?"

"W-Well," Locke stuttered. "It was collaborative, but I did a lot of the heavy lifting for the production in the most recent cinematic, and when I first started I did some work on the Honor and Glory, Alive, and Shooting Star animated shorts."

Akali nearly jumped over the table and grabbed Locke's hand. "Oh my God! You worked on the Tracer and shorts. You're amazing! I can't believe that I'll be working alongside you! Can I have your autograph? I want you to sign my jacket, my Tracer figurine, and—"

"Akali," Ahri interrupted. "You're scaring him."

"No, no, it's totally fine." Locke smiled as Akali bowed her head and let go of his hand. "I wasn't expecting you to be such a huge fan of games."

Akali giggled. "It's what I do to stay sane."

"It's also a terrible addiction of yours," Evelynn added. "Continue with your story, Locke."

"Ah, right." Locke glanced at Evelynn. "After spending a few years at Blizzard and other game companies—"

"Which other companies?" Akali asked once she returned to her seat.

"Naughty Dog, Riot Games—"

"Riot Games?" Ahri questioned, completely surprised that their new producer had previously worked for K/DA's current biggest sponsor.

Locke hummed in confirmation. He looked to both Akali and Evelynn. "I actually worked on your themes for your characters in the game. I also did some work for the themes for Kindred, Jhin, Aurelion Sol, and Xayah and Rakan."

Evelynn nodded. "I'd heard that you were the one who worked on my theme."

"Anyways," Locke continued before Akali could interrupt him. "After working closely with so many gaming companies, I started to earn a bit of a name for myself. That's when Lucasfilm reached out to me to work alongside John Williams to compose and produce the scores for Star Wars Episode VIII and IX. And the rest is history."

"What instruments can you play?" Kai'Sa wondered aloud.

"Piano, violin, viola, cello, and the guitar," Locke replied. "But I still have a lot to learn in terms of playing the guitar."

The entirety of K/DA sat in awe. "You can play five instruments?" Ahri asked in wonder.

"I can also sing, but only for melody clarifying purposes. And if you count that, then I play six instruments."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to impress the ladies, Key."

The producer lightly hit Brianna on the shoulder. "Cut me some slack, I'm surrounded by beautiful women. Why wouldn't I want to impress them?"

Ahri and Kai'Sa chuckled, Akali blushed, and Evelynn just rolled her eyes.

"Key?" Evelynn repeated.

"It's her nickname for me, since she's too lazy to say 'Locke' even though it's the same amount of syllables," Locke explained.

"Key," Evelynn muttered, as if she were testing the word.

"Alright." Ahri stood up. "Let's finish up and let Brianna and Locke sleep before we head to lunch and the studio."

"I'm actually not tired at all," Locke said. He looked at Evelynn. "If you don't mind, could I see your guitar collection?"

The siren looked all too happy to accept. "Of course." She stood up. "I assume that you girls can clean this up while I show our guest around the house?"

Ahri rolled her eyes but ultimately accepted. "Yeah, go ahead."

Evelynn winked at Locke and motioned with a singular finger for him to follow her. He wasn't an idiot, he knew that Evelynn was flirting with and teasing him. This wasn't Locke's first time dancing around the subject of sex. He wasn't exactly looking for a relationship right now, and that included one night-stands and flings.

The siren opened the door to the room that contained her guitar collection. It was a small, simple room with a white carpet floor and wooden walls, but nearly every inch of it was covered by an extremely rare, expensive, and beautiful guitar. There were also numerous amps, and in the center of the room was a pair of red stools.

However, there were two guitars in particular that caught Locke's attention. He rushed over to where they hung and glanced back at Evelynn. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all, go ahead."

With a shaking grip, Locke placed his fingers around the neck of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul. In all of his time working in music, he'd only seen one other guitar of this kind. He knew that there were more, but this was his second time seeing the legendary collectible guitar in person. Locke held the guitar for another minute before he returned it to its place.

The other guitar was none other than Mordekaiser's own axe-guitar, with the guitarist's signature on the back.

"Like what you see?" Evelynn asked, resting her head on Locke's shoulder.

Locke looked down at the siren. Their gazes met once again. "I do." He smirked and grabbed an acoustic guitar from the shelf. "Come on, I want to play something and I want you to sing."

"Oh? I don't lend my voice out often, you know."

The producer rolled his eyes. He sat on the stool and began to tune the instrument. "It's one of your songs."

"With an acoustic guitar?"

"And a change in key," Locke answered as he tuned the guitar by ear. He motioned for Evelynn to sit beside him. "Sit."

The diva stared at him for a moment, and then she sat beside him. "What key?"

"Ecstasy in E-minor."

Evelynn narrowed her brows and glared at him. "Are you joking?"

Locke sighed. "Just trust me."

"I just met you."

"But I'm also producing your first studio album. You know how difficult it is to make something good without trust," Locke explained. "So have a little faith."

Evelynn growled. "Fine." She cleared her throat. "I'm ready when you are."

Counting himself in, Locke began to strum the chords of Ecstasy. The original song was written as an R&B song with rock elements as soon as the chorus hits. The lyrics told the story of two lovers that hated each other, but as soon as they started to have sex, all of their problems fell away. It was the story of an addiction to each other, an addiction to the ecstasy that they brought one another. The original song in its original key conveyed a message of anger and hatred towards the other party.

But as Evelynn followed the tempo and the key that Locke set them in, the song lost its anger and its hatred. Those emotions were replaced with sorrow, sadness, and regret. What was once a song that Evelynn used anger to properly sing, she instead began to use the deep well of sadness she'd forgotten was inside of her. She embraced this moment. Fully sinking herself into the song, the sound of the strums of the guitar, the harrowingly sad lyrics, and the sheer beauty that she found in that sadness.

As the song came to a close, Evelynn's voice dipped to just above a whisper when she spoke up. "That was… something." She opened her eyes and quickly realized that she'd been crying.

Locke nodded. "It turned out better than I thought it would," he said with a chuckle. "Good to know that your talent is real."

The siren raised a brow. "Did you think it wasn't?"

"I had my doubts," he replied. "I haven't heard you perform live."

"Fair enough," Evelynn said, standing up.

Locke put away the guitar.

"Rebel," Evelynn said, interrupting him. "It's good to have you on the team."

"Thanks."

**/;/**

"This is your studio?" Locke asked, still unable to believe that K/DA needed one this large. The live room was the size of Locke's entire apartment, and the control room was easily larger than Locke's personal studio.

Ahri shrugged. "We can't really complain, it's nice to have such a big space." The pop star checked her watch. "We have about thirty minutes before management gets here. Do you want to do anything?"

Kai'Sa, Akali, Evelynn, and Brianna sat on the sofa in the back of the control room, lounging about.

Evelynn sat up. "Actually, I want to record something."

Locke immediately knew what she was talking about. "The acoustic from earlier?"

The diva nodded.

Ahri raised a brow. "Acoustic?"

"While Locke and I were in my guitar room, he decided to play something and told me to sing. He put Ecstasy in a different key and slowed the tempo," Evelynn attempted to explain. "Let's just do it again."

Akali chuckled. "Do you think you're gonna become an acoustic singer now, Eve?"

She shrugged. "If it sounds good to me, then maybe I will."

Locke and Evelynn entered the live room. Making sure everything was mic'd correctly, Locke began to play Ecstasy. The duo fell into the same state they were when they first played the song. Their heads and bodies swayed in time with Locke's chords, their eyes were shut as they both embraced the emotions of the song. A few minutes later, the piece came to an end.

Removing the mics, Locke and Evelynn returned to the control room. The rest of K/DA and Brianna were in complete shock. Locke was certain he could see tear-stains on Kai'Sa and Ahri's cheeks.

"That was… amazing," Ahri choked. She coughed and violently rubbed her eyes in an attempt to hide the fact that she'd been crying. "And— and you just did that on the spot?" She asked Locke.

"Not exactly, I had the idea since I first heard the song."

Akali perked up. "When did you first hear it?'

"On the drive to your house after I landed in Korea," Locke answered. "I loved the lyrics. And I could hear two different versions of the song; the one that Evelynn originally wrote, and the version that I would have composed."

"Which is the acoustic one," finished Evelynn.

Locke sat at the control station. He looked at what he and Evelynn had recorded live. "If you want," he said, spinning in his chair to look at her, "I can mix this and then we can throw it up as something like Ecstasy (Stripped)."

The diva chuckled. "We should wait until the management gets here. I'm not sure how they would take to my image being subverted like that."

Locke frowned. "Does it really matter?"

"It does," Ahri explained. "An artist's image is everything. People expect certain kinds of songs from certain artists, and it would be jarring to do something like that unannounced."

"I see." Locke said, turning back to the monitor.

"You can still mix it," Evelynn said. "More than likely, we can release it as a preview for things to come when we announce that you're going to producing our first full studio album."

"Great!" Locke grinned. He really liked this version of the song, and it would be a lost opportunity if they didn't release it. "Anyone else want to record anything?"

K/DA as a whole rolled their eyes.

"Oh!" Brianna exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Play them some of your tracks that you made on the flight."

"You already have tracks?" Akali asked.

"They're barely tracks, and they're more experimental than anything else."

"Let us listen to at least one of them. Please?" Kai'Sa pleaded.

"Alright, alright." Locke opened up his laptop and plugged it into the studio's control panel. After some adjusting and fixing, he managed to get his laptop to work as another audio workspace. He loaded up an untitled track, and, with bated breath, pressed play.

_(Switch - JUN)_

After about three minutes, the instrumental came to an end. Seconds of silence followed it.

"You're. Fucking. Joking," Akali said, the first one to speak up. "There's no way you haven't produced anything in hip-hop or pop."

Locke rubbed the back of his head. "I done it once or twice, but nothing crazy. I just used what I knew from classical music and changed the instruments around. The original piece was in strings, piano, and percussion."

"I told you that you could do it," Brianna commented patting him on the shoulder. "Have a little more faith in yourself. You're incredibly talented."

Locke smiled. "Thanks, Bri." He really couldn't thank her enough. She'd stuck with him through thick and thin, and was truly his most reliable friend and partner. To say he was grateful for her was to Brianna's discredit.

"Ah, the management is here," informed Ahri.

The door to the studio opened, and two people filed in. One was a crimson-haired woman with silver, almost grey eyes; she wore a loose, silky white blouse and a black coat that matched perfectly with a pair of midnight slacks and silver shoes.

A chiseled-face man framed by long, flowing brown hair smiled warmly at everyone in the room. He was easily the most handsome man that Locke had ever seen, and the fact that he wore a black three-piece suit only amplified that statement.

"I assume that you're Locke?" the red-head asked, shaking Locke's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you…"

"Sarah Fortune, co-manager of K/DA," she motioned to the man beside her. "This is Taric, also co-manager of K/DA."

"A pleasure, Taric and Sarah," Locke replied with a nod to the man.

The two managers sat down on the sofa amongst K/DA.

Sarah looked at each of the members of K/DA. "So, what do you guys think of your new head producer?"

Akali was the first to speak up. "He's great!"

"Talented," Kai'Sa summarized.

"I like him," Evelynn said, looking at her nails before winking at Locke.

"He's amazing," praised Ahri. "I think we'll be able to make a really great album with him."

Locke flushed at all of the praise. "Thanks."

"Well," Taric began, "let's hear some for ourselves, yeah?"

The producer nodded and spun back around to the monitor. He clicked back to the recording of Evelynn's Ecstasy in acoustic and pressed play. Locke watched each person's reaction to the song. And even though K/DA and Brianna had already listened to the song, their faces still wore the same sadness it did when they first heard it, with tears threatening to spill forth.

What surprised him the most, however, was Evelynn's reaction.

The diva was struggling to hold in her tears as the haunting verses echoed throughout the control room, and once the song reached its chorus, the dam threatened to break. Without another word, Evelynn stood up and exited the studio.

Sarah Fortune and Taric, however, had entirely different reactions. They didn't seem impressed by the song.

As it came to an end, Ahri and Kai'Sa quietly sniffled.

"Do you have any more?" Sarah asked.

"I have a few more, yeah." Locke loaded up the instrumental track from earlier and played it. Track after track, Sarah and Taric remained unimpressed by what Locke had produced. However, they showed some interest in the track he played most recently for K/DA.

"Well," Sarah began tentatively, her lips pursed. "We have some time to hash out what we want the album sound like. Until then, keep learning the ins and outs of pop, hip-hop production."

"Do you have any suggestions for me?"

"Lose the cinematic tone," Taric said frankly. "You're not making music for a movie, you're making music that these girls can dance and perform to. And more than that, you're making music that the fans can sing and dance to."

"The music you composed is beautiful," Sarah clarified. "But it isn't right for a K/DA album."

Locke hummed. "I see."

"Girls," Sarah said, turning to them. "We'll be having the company meeting about the album in three days' time."

"Three days? That seems so soon," Ahri said.

Locke spoke up as he was the only one to have experience when it came to planning something similar to a studio album. Film scores took a long time to brainstorm, but once the sheet music was finished, it was simply a matter of recording. "It gives us time to brainstorm ideas for the album, which we'll need to spend a lot of time doing."

The two managers stood up. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Locke," Sarah said. "Girls, take care of him."

"We'll make sure we're ready for the meeting," Ahri said with a nod towards Sarah and Taric. "Thanks for stopping by."

Everyone waved goodbye to Taric and Sarah as they exited the studio.

Locke audibly sighed. However, he wasn't surprised by their comments. It made perfect sense. The songs, besides the track tentatively titled Switch, were more cinematic than anything. He didn't take it too harshly either, he was happy that Sarah and Taric gave him usable advice rather than the usual "Fix it!" he got from executives.

"So," Akali said, looking at everyone. "What now?"

"We can try and come up with some ideas for tracks," Locke said. He noticed there was a blank whiteboard on the wall to the right of the sofa, opposite the door to enter the studio. Rolling his chair over to the whiteboard, Locke picked up a black marker and uncapped it. He pulled out his phone and set a timer for five minutes.

Bobs of multi-colored hair looked at each other in confusion.

"Just shout something out," Locke explained with a smile. "I'll write up on the board. We only have until the end of the timer though, so be quick."

"R&B," Evelynn suggested.

"Dance-pop," Kai'Sa called.

"Rap?" Akali asked predictably.

"Regular pop," said Ahri.

"Keep it coming," Locke urged as he wrote the suggestions up as quickly as he could.

Slowly but surely, the more creative and wild ideas popped up. Things like opera, orchestral, rock, blues, country, acoustic, soul, trance, the list went on and on, listing nearly every musical genre that Locke could think of. He was impressed that the girls managed to create a list this long within five minutes.

"What now?" asked the youngest of K/DA, her azure eyes scanning the long list of genres.

"Now, you guys are gonna partner up and make a list of your own that doesn't include anything written up here."

As Kai'Sa took out her phone and scooched closer to Akali, she piped up. "Is there going to be a time limit for this too?"

Locke nodded. "Ready?"

Evelynn and Ahri nodded.

The producer started the timer, and K/DA began to brainstorm. This process repeated itself two more times, and by then, nearly the entire whiteboard was absolutely covered in genres of music. It ranged from country to screamo, from boom-bap hip-hop to contemporary R&B. It was an impressive list.

"Now we narrow it down?" Ahri assumed.

Locke nodded. "We can eliminate all of the ones that would never make sense." He crossed off opera, screamo, and country. "Any others?" Following the directions of the girls, Locke chipped away at the list. One by one, the list was narrowed down to a set of seven possible options: trap (and hip-hop), contemporary R&B, dance-pop (and pop), EDM, trance, pop-rock, and acoustic. It was a good basis for an album, but Locke knew that it was more than likely going to change. Creating an album was a journey, and every journey had its obstacles.

"That's a good list," Evelynn surmised. "All of us can work with these types of songs."

"Agreed," Ahri commented, checking her watch. "Even though we don't know what they sound like, we can think up some ideas tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Locke questioned. "Why not now?"

The leader of K/DA glanced at her members. "Do you guys want to stay?"

Akali nodded excitedly. "I want to see Locke do this thing!"

"Bokkie?" Ahri asked.

The purplette nodded. "I'm okay with staying, and I would like to see Locke work."

"Eve?"

"It would be a joy to see our head producer in his element." Evelynn glanced at Locke and licked her lips, her mouth forming an incredibly sultry grin.

Locke coughed and rolled his chair to the control panel. "You guys sure?"

Ahri chuckled. "They're sure, this is one of the few times where Akali doesn't want to go home to play her games."

"Hey!" Akali protested.

As Locke plugged in a MIDI keyboard and a live pad, he began to play random chords on the piano. He wasn't sure where the girls' voices were most comfortable. "How do you guys make your songs?"

"Well, producers are usually eager to send us their songs, so we just choose the best and then go from there," explained Ahri.

"What about you, Evelynn? How did you make your solo songs?"

"I sat in the studio with a producer for a couple of hours and worked with him to create Agony's Embrace and Ecstasy." Evelynn sat forward. "Other than that, I don't have much experience in the studio besides recording."

Locke looked at the other two girls as he continued playing jazz chords on the piano. "Akali? Kai'Sa?"

"Other than recording, I don't really know much of anything." Kai'Sa flushed. "I spend more time in a dance practice room than the recording studio."

"I've produced my own tracks here and there," Akali revealed hesitantly. "But they were never any good, especially when compared to the stuff that you produce."

"I've had years of practice composing, Akali." Locke ceased his playing. "You may not be able to compose, but you can sure as hell rap."

Akali flushed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." The producer returned to his playing. He switched the pattern of the chords from jazz to pop. "I guess I can just talk through my thought process for when I'm making a track?"

"That would be interesting," Ahri said, leaning back into the sofa.

"Well, what genre do you guys want to start with?"

Immediately, all of the girls replied at once.

"R&B."

"Hip-hop!"

"Acoustic?"

"Dance."

Locke glanced back at Ahri. "Acoustic?"

"Well," the leader shifted her feet. "Evelynn's song with an acoustic guitar sounded really pretty, so I wanted to see how you made something like that."

Locke hummed. "I see." He set aside the MIDI keyboard and grabbed the guitar he used to record Ecstasy. "The first thing is to just get started, which you usually do by playing some chords." The producer began to strum a chord progression that he'd been wanting to try for awhile.

_(ILLENIUM, Jon Bellion - Good Things Fall Apart - Stripped)_

"And once I've found a good chord progression, I write it down or record it" Following through with his example even though he usually just memorized the chords, Locke pulled up a document and titled it K/DA Album - Acoustic Track. He notated the chords onto the document before returning to his guitar. "After that, using the chords—" he remembered something. "Evelynn?"

The diva sat up. "Yes?"

Locke lifted the neck of the guitar. "You can play, right?"

"Yes, I can," she replied. "Do you want me to play the chords?"

Locke nodded and handed her his guitar. He showed her the tabs and the strumming pattern. As the diva sat beside him, Locke kneeled before her. "Do you mind if I grab your hand?"

Evelynn chuckled. "Since you asked so nicely, yes."

Locke took up her hand and fingers, placing them into the appropriate spots in order to play the chords. The woman's fingers were flexible, which was evidence enough of her ability to play the guitar. It was fairly simple and after a few minutes of practice, Evelynn could perform in time with the tempo.

The rest of K/DA sat stunned. Locke was fairly sure it wasn't so much at Evelynn's ability to play, but the fact that he'd so casually held the hands of Evelynn, a woman renowned for her diva-like reputation with men. Locke thought nothing more of it. It wasn't his intention to bed Evelynn, he simply wanted to test her ability to play the guitar for himself; and, so far, he was impressed.

"Alright, you got it?" Locke asked. He sat in front of the MIDI keyboard and loaded up a Grand Piano program into the audio workstation.

Evelynn nodded. "Just count me in."

Locke tapped his foot. "One, two, three, four."

As Evelynn strummed the chords she'd been shown, Locke tested the waters with a set of melodies that he had previously written for the given set of chords. Through his testing, he heard Ahri humming and swaying her head along to one of the melodies. He stopped.

"Ahri, can you sing what I just played?"

The woman opened her eyes in surprise. "Huh? Oh, uh, okay!"

Locke motioned for Evelynn to stop playing. "Okay, here we go." He began to tap his foot again. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four."

Evelynn came in first, the rhythm of the chords echoing through the room. A measure later, Locke played a harmony to the chords and to the upcoming melody. And when Ahri began to sing, the entire song almost wrote itself. Even though Locke, Evelynn, and Ahri had never written a song together, whatever magic filled the room seemed to disprove that. The steady movement of Evelynn's fingers across the guitar, Locke's perfect synchronicity with the tempo and Evelynn's playing, and Ahri's beautiful voice that stood out over the other instruments all melded together beautifully.

The song continued for another minute, all three performers completely improvising what they felt was appropriate. And even though there were no lyrics written, there was a uniformity in their playing, as if they all understood what was being conveyed through the sound of music.

And Locke loved every second of it. He didn't want it to end. This was what he wanted, what he thought he had found at the game companies that he worked at, what he thought he had found working on Star Wars: complete, unbridled creativity that only sought to do one thing, which was to create beautiful music.

Once the song came to its eventual end, Locke sighed in contentment. "That was… something."

Ahri giggled and covered her mouth. Evelynn chuckled and nodded.

"It certainly was," the diva said, setting down the guitar.

"Something?!" Kai'Sa shouted from her position on the sofa. "That was amazing! Locke, record it now!"

"Agreed! Key, record it, record it, record it!" Bri exclaimed.

"Relax, you two," Locke said with a smirk. He pointed to his head. "I've got the whole thing memorized. Besides, it's hard to record something without lyrics." The producer looked straight at Akali.

The rapper and lyricist smiled sheepishly. "I'll see what I can do?"

"What we can do," Ahri corrected. Locke grinned at her. He had the same thing on his mind. "Alright, let's get some dinner."


	3. Chapter Three

s Locke opened the door to his room, he realized just how exhausted he was. After spending nearly twenty hours wide awake without getting a wink of sleep— three of those hours were spent playing games with Akali and Ahri, jamming out with Evelynn, and helping Kai'Sa clean the kitchen up—, it was beginning to take a toll on his mind and body.

The clock on his nightstand read that it was almost two in the morning.

Locke sighed. He stumbled into the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and his toiletry bag in his hand. His breath smelled like sour onions, and he knew that his face was dirty and oily. He fully intended to clean himself up before he slept.

"Impressive," a sultry voice commented.

Locke returned to reality. Ice blue met amber. "Evelynn?"

The diva had a robe drawn over her body. She nodded. "Who else would you be sharing a bathroom with?"

Locke groaned. "Why would I be sharing a bathroom in the first place?"

"You can blame Ahri for that," Evelynn said walking over to the sink. As she wet her toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto it, she stared at him using the mirror. "I didn't take you as someone who exercised frequently."

"Not so much anymore. But I do like to take care of my health," he said. He wet his own toothbrush and also pumped out toothpaste onto it. Without a word, he began to brush his teeth. Locke wasn't sure where to go, so he just returned to his bedroom and sat on his bed for the next three minutes as he brushed his teeth. He finished and rinsed his toothbrush and his mouth, merely glancing at Evelynn who also finished brushing her teeth.

"I'm impressed by you, you know," Evelynn said, drumming up conversation.

"How so?" Locke asked before splashing water onto his face.

"Well," she began, "you've managed to fit perfectly into our dynamic, even though I fully believed that such a thing was impossible." The diva began to floss her teeth.

Locke chuckled, also flossing his own teeth. "I've got a talent for fitting in, I suppose."

Evelynn gave him a sideways glance. "Oh?"

He shrugged. "It's something I've always thought I struggled with, but I'm far better at it than most people." Locke rolled up the floss and threw it in the trash bin. "Mind if I use your soap?"

Evelynn shook her head, also throwing her floss into the trash. "Go ahead."

Wetting his face once again, Locke rubbed the soap into his hands to create suds, then he lathered his face with it. He used the water to wipe the soap from his face once he was done. "Anything else you're impressed by?"

"The fact that you're not utterly entranced by any of us," Evelynn said frankly. She wiped her face with make-up remover before she took a clay mask rub. "Specifically me."

Locke smirked. He squeezed moisturizer out of a small tube. "You're all absolutely gorgeous, but I'm not looking for anything right now." He rubbed the lotion onto his face, making sure that none of it remained.

"Any reason why?" Evelynn asked as she gently applied the dark grey clay mask.

"My life is a little too crazy for a relationship right now." Locke leaned against the bathroom counter as he watched Evelynn go through her skin routine. "Maybe a few months from now, but I can't say for sure." The producer grinned. "Interested?"

The diva let out a single laugh. "We'll have to wait and see, won't we?"

"Yes," Locke agreed. "We will. Have a good night, Eve."

"You too, Locke."

He closed his side's bathroom door and climbed into bed.

Without another thought, Locke let the warm embrace of sleep take him.

**/;/**

The door to Locke's room opened with a click that caused him to stir awake. One of the unfortunate perks of being a musician, he was an incredibly light sleeper.

"Locke…?" Akali asked hesitantly. Locke could hear her move to the side of his bed. "Are you awake?"

He sat up and rubbed his eyes. There was a gasp. "Good morning, Akali."

"P-put on a shirt," stuttered Akali. She had used her hands to shield her eyes, but Locke could still see her sneaking peeks.

He chuckled and got off his bed to grab a shirt. "You've never seen a shirtless guy before?"

"I have!" There was a pause before Akali flushed, realizing the intention of her statement. "I mean, I saw them when I trained in my dad's dojo." Her hands slowly lowered themselves. "I just wasn't expecting you to be shirtless when I went to wake you up." She shamelessly rolled her gaze up and down Locke's body. "And for you to look so good without a shirt," she murmured under her breath, wholly believing that Locke couldn't hear her, especially with his back turned to her.

"Akali," Locke said, sliding on a white t-shirt. "I can hear you. Musician, remember?"

The youngest member of K/DA flushed. "J-just come down for breakfast!" She sprinted out of his room, the door slammed shut behind her.

Locke rolled his eyes and followed behind her. When he came into the dining room, Evelynn smirked at him. "What?"

"Treating our youngest member to a strip show?" Evelynn asked, the smirk growing into a grin of shit-eating proportions. She nodded her head towards the cherry-red face of Akali.

"What?!" Ahri cried, utter shock written plain on her face.

Locke sighed. "Evelynn's just messing around. I sleep shirtless. Akali didn't expect it, so I teased her." When everyone— besides Evelynn— was slowly becoming red, he realized the error of his words. "Verbally. I verbally teased her."

There was a collective sigh of relief. Locke realized that Brianna wasn't at the table. "Where's Brianna?" he asked.

"Still in her room," Kai'Sa answered. "Do you want us to wait for her?"

Locke shook his head. "You girls can eat, I'll wake her up. Where is she sleeping?"

"Next to my room," Ahri explained. When she realized that Locke had no idea where that was, she stood up and showed him where exactly she was talking about. "Here."

Locke nodded his thanks. He knocked on the door. "Bri? It's Locke. You alright?"

There was silence on the other side of the door, then the shuffling of feet. The door opened to reveal an absolute mess of a woman. Brianna's cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes were swollen from what could have been hours of crying. Her normally beautiful blonde hair was in a greasy, oily ruin. "Can you come inside?" she asked softly.

Locke nodded and stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Brianna guided him to the bed as she sat on it. Locke sat beside her. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think that I'm still your friend, Key?" she struggled to ask, her breathing growing erratic.

"What? Where's this coming from?" Locke wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. "Of course you are! You'll always be my best friend, Bri."

"You and I barely talked yesterday," Brianna murmured. "You seemed more excited to talk to K/DA than I was. I'm just worried that—"

"Don't worry, Bri," Locke eased. "If it bothers you again, just tell me, okay?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes and sniffling. "Tell the girls to save me some food, I need to not look like a mess." Brianna chuckled. She stood up and walked to the bathroom. "Thanks, Key."

"Of course, I'll save some of Kai'Sa's eggs."

"Oh, please. I have no idea where she learned to cook so well."

"Maybe you can ask her?" Locke smiled. "Don't be so afraid to just talk to them. They're just people. They might be famous, but they're still just people."

"I know, I know." Brianna motioned to the door. "Get out of here, I'm gonna shower."

Locke rolled his eyes and made for the door. "Like I haven't seen you naked before."

"Get out, Key," Brianna said.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Locke returned to the kitchen and sat down next to Evelynn. The table was silent as the girls slowly ate their food

"Is she alright?" Ahri asked, breaking the silence.

He nodded. "She just had some worries about our friendship."

Kai'Sa spoke up. "Such as?"

"I didn't spend a whole lot of time with her yesterday, and she's a huge fan of you guys, so it was hard for her to approach you as just normal people." Locke began to put food onto his plate.

"Poor girl," Evelynn said. "She's been starstruck."

Locke smirked. "She might be my assistant, but she rarely interacts with people as famous as you."

Akali giggled. "I remember when I was like that. It was really hard for me to start to see Gumiho and Eve as just regular people."

"Meanwhile," Evelynn began, "Locke here adjusted immediately."

The producer rolled his eyes. "We had this conversation already." He began to eat his food. Once again, Ahri and Kai'Sa whipped up an absolutely delicious breakfast. God, he could eat forever.

"So, what are we doing today?" Kai'Sa asked Ahri.

"Today's a rest day. But if you want to do some work for the album, feel free to." Ahri nodded to Locke, fully understanding that the producer would definitely want to get some work done. "I plan on just staying home today."

"We really don't have anything scheduled today?" Evelynn asked, completely surprised.

Ahri shook her head. "Unless Sarah or Taric didn't tell me something, we're doing nothing today."

"Great!" Akali shot to her feet, grabbed her dishes, and put them in the sink. "I'll be in my room!"

Kai'Sa and Ahri sighed.

"I'll bother her later," Locke said. "I need someone to write the lyrics for the song from yesterday. Speaking of which, we'll need to record it later."

Ahri nodded. "Just let us know when you want to."

The leader began to clean up the dining table, picking up dishes and plates and placing them in the sink for washing.

"I'll be in my room as well." Evelynn stood up and walked up the stairs, her hips swaying as she did so.

"First thing I see after my shower is Key staring at his co-worker's butt." Brianna sighed, taking up Evelynn's empty seat.

Locke coughed and blood rushed to his cheeks. "Sorry."

Kai'Sa rolled her eyes. "It's fine. It's hard not to stare at one. Especially Eve's." The dancer held out her hand for Locke's plate. "Are you done?"

Locke nodded and stood up. "I'm gonna brush my teeth and then exercise. You guys have a gym here, right?"

"Basement, first door on the left from the stairs," Ahri explained. "I might join you down there. Anyone else?"

"I will," Kai'Sa said. "I'm feeling a little stiff, it would do me some good to exercise."

"See you guys in a bit, then, I guess." Locke glanced at Brianna. "Do you want to join us?"

Brianna shrugged. "I might go play some games with Akali."

"Have fun." Locke smiled at Kai'Sa and Ahri. "Thanks for cleaning up."

Kai'Sa smirked. "Ah, it's not that big of a deal. We usually clean up anyways."

Locke headed up the stairs to his room. He could hear the bathroom shower running, and he quickly realized that it was Evelynn. He grabbed a pair of black sweatpants and white t-shirt and began to strip down in his room. Mid-way through putting his shirt on, the shower stopped running, and the door to his room opened.

"Mind getting me a towel—" Evelynn stopped. A sultry smile grew on her face. "This is the second time in the last twenty-four hours that I've seen you shirtless. Are you trying to say something?"

Locke finished putting on his shirt, completely ignoring what she was suggesting. "I'm gonna go work out with Kai'Sa and Ahri, care to join us?"

"I just showered, so I'll have to decline." Evelynn said. Her pink-purple hair was still wet with shower-water. The door was ajar but Locke was fairly sure that the pale woman was fully nude behind it. "Still, would you mind getting me a towel?"

"I have no idea where those even are."

"Ah, right." Evelynn grinned. "Close your eyes. The towels are in your room."

"Eve—"

Without warning, the diva opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. A wet sheen coated her curvaceous, pale body. But Locke immediately shut his eyes before he could see anymore of her body. As much as he wanted to.

"How courteous of you, Rebel," Evelynn said, her voice much closer than Locke expected. He felt her breath, warm and hot on his face. "I'm curious, though, how did you get your producer name?"

"Spent a lot of my first year of college partying instead of doing work."

"Oh?" Evelynn placed her hands on Locke's shoulders and began to rub them. "What kind of parties?"

"The kind that almost got me expelled," Locke explained. "Did you already get your towel?"

Evelynn's breathing moved from his face to his ear. "I did," she whispered before pulling away. "Enjoy your workout. Maybe I can join you in the shower?"

Locke didn't even want to justify her question with a response. When he heard the bathroom door click closed, he opened his eyes. He sighed in relief as he saw that the room was empty. As much as he found Evelynn attractive, he also found her flirting to be a little overbearing sometimes. He knew it was her nature though, so he thought nothing more of it.

Making his way downstairs, he was greeted to the sight of Akali stuffing snacks into a reflective, white drawstring bag. At nine in the morning. "Akali?" he asked. "You just ate breakfast."

The girl yelped and dropped some of the snacks she had in her had. "L-Locke! This is for later." She looked him over. "You gonna exercise?"

He nodded. "Along with Ahri and Kai'Sa."

"Ah, I see." Akali returned to filling her bag with snacks. "Well, uh, have fun."

"Thanks, you too." As he walked down to the basement, Locke silently wondered when he grew so comfortable around K/DA. It only happened over the course of a single day, and that was what truly impressed him. The girls drew him into their group like a magnet, and he took solace in the fact that he was their friend. At least, he hoped they considered him a friend of theirs. He did feel slightly bad for Brianna. He understood where she was coming from, and he would do his best to spend more time with her over the course of their stay in Korea.

For now, however, he had a workout to complete. He opened the door to the gym and was greeted with a large, open room that was being blasted with cool air. The wall opposite the door was covered by a practice mirror that spanned the entire length and height of the wall, a pair of black speakers stood on either side of the mirror. Kai'Sa stood in front of the mirror in black leggings and a white sports bra, her electric indigo hair drawn up into a tight bun.

K/DA had a few workout machines, but they were mostly for cardio and weight loss rather than strength training. It made sense. Locke doubted that management wanted K/DA to look ripped and instead wanted a more toned appearance. There were a few dumbells and such, which would do.

Ahri wore a pair of black spandex shorts and a black sports bra as she rolled out an exercise mat. She saw Locke enter the room and she smiled at him. "How do you usually exercise?"

"Basic stuff, warm-up, and then into whatever I want to work out that day," Locke said, rolling out a mat beside Ahri. "I might do legs today."

"Legs?" Kai'Sa asked from across the room. "I heard something about working out legs?"

Ahri giggled. "Kai'Sa is our resident thick-thighed girl. She loves to exercise her legs."

"I can tell," Locke said. He'd noticed Kai'Sa thighs since yesterday. "Then sure, we can work out our legs today."

Kai'Sa paired her phone to the speakers and began to play music, as expected, it was K/DA's first song: POP/STARS.

Before long, the trio began to exercise. Locke was impressed, both girls were more than willing to keep pace with him and managed to do so quite well. Fifteen minutes were spent warming up, and another thirty went to the workout. While Locke set the pace, it was Kai'Sa that gave the instructions, seeing as she was the one who had the most experience working out the legs. She took both Ahri and Locke through a series of seriously tiring exercises, and before long, everyone was covered in a sheen of sweat.

Ahri and Locke looked a bit worse than Kai'Sa though. The lead dancer merely looked as though she finished a stage performance, while Ahri and Locke looked like they just completed a ten mile run. On that same note, both of Locke's legs burned with intense strain.

"That was impressive," Locke said between heavy breaths. "Are you workouts usually like that?"

Kai'Sa shook her head. "That's my warm-up, and my exercise is dancing."

Locke groaned. "You are a monster of a woman."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kai'Sa shot back with a grin. "Are you guys done?"

Locke nodded, laying his head down on the part of his exercise mat that didn't have sweat on it. He ran a hand through his wet hair and cringed. "I'm gonna go wash up. I'll see you guys later."

"I'm gonna do the same," Ahri said. She stood up and began to dry off her exercise mat. "You can go ahead and shower, Locke. Don't worry about the mat."

"You sure?"

Ahri nodded. "It's not that big of a deal. You're our guest here."

"Alright," Locke said. He left the gym with a wave to the two girls and made his way up to his room. He plodded tiredly up the steps, and when he opened the door to his room, he sighed. He wanted to play something. Grabbing a pair of lightly ripped denim pants and a plain white t-shirt, Locke went into the bathroom. He threw off his sweat-stained clothes and stepped into the shower.

He twisted the shower handle to the cool side, and let the cold water run over him. His life had taken a sudden, and very interesting turn, since landing in Korea; the world grew smaller, and meeting the members of K/DA changed him more than he thought it would. Perhaps it was too early to say such a thing after only a single day of first meeting them, but Locke believed that the amount of time spent with someone changed the value of interactions with them.

Locke had known people for years, and when he compared his relationship to anyone in K/DA with those people, it could be safely said that he was closer to K/DA than those people.

It also helped that each member was exceptionally talented, and each of them seemed genuinely interested in making music over making profit.

Locke rinsed his hair with his shampoo.

And following that thought, Locke grew sad at the fact that Sarah and Taric were most likely going to be uninterested in anything that K/DA wouldn't be able to dance to. It was a shame. The girls had an impeccable chemistry, and it was safe to say that Akali and Kai'Sa, even though they were the rapper and the lead dancer, could sing fairly well. And Locke already knew that Ahri and Evelynn's vocal capabilities were truly super-star quality.

Locke soaped down his body next, making sure that every inch of grime and sweat was gone.

The song that Ahri, Evelynn, and Locke composed in the studio yesterday re-entered his mind. He was impressed with himself, but he was infinitely more impressed with Ahri and Evelynn. The two proved that their talent not only met his expectations, but exceeded far beyond them. It was impressive to say the least.

Locke turned off the shower and began to dry himself. He looked at himself in the mirror. He'd been wanting to recolor his hair, after more than twenty years of having hair as black as the night sky, he was ready for a change. Maybe he'd ask Ahri for recommendations. He slid on his clothes and hung up the towel that he used.

As Locke internally debated on what to do first: write the lyrics for either of the songs from yesterday, or compose an entirely new song, there was a knock at his door.

"Locke? It's Akali, when did you want to write the lyrics?"

"We can do it now," Locke opened the door.

Akali smiled. "Cool! Where?"

He hummed. "Let's actually do it at the studio, can you tell Ahri to meet us there?"

"To record?"

Locke nodded. "And to help come up with lyrics. I'll get Evelynn."

"Okay! See you in a bit." Akali spun on her heel and began to head towards Ahri's room.

"Evelynn," Locke said as he knocked on the diva's door. "Can you come down to the studio in a bit? We're gonna record the song from yesterday."

Evelynn's voice sounded from behind the door. "I'll be out in a bit."

**/;/**

Recording the song took less than an hour, considering the fact that half of it was improvised, and they only needed a guitar and piano part. Locke played the piano, Evelynn played the guitar, and Ahri hummed the melody. As Locke adjusted the sounds of each audio track, separating the entire song into clear sections, he looked back at Akali who stood in front of a whiteboard, tapping her foot in time with the song. "How's it going?"

The whiteboard had a few words on it, but there wasn't a clear verse or chorus, at least as far as Locke could see. "I've got a few key words and phrases down," she said. The lyricist pointed to a few notable ones. "There's love and loss and learning from mistakes as general themes."

"I like them," Evelynn voiced as she came out of the recording room and into the control room.

Ahri followed behind her. "Me too."

"Locke?" Akali asked as if she needed verification.

"Do what you feel is right," Locke replied, looking back to the monitor.

"Alright, that's the one we'll go with then." Akali cleared out the whiteboard and wrote _What I Lost_ at the top. It was in this moment that Locke realized that he was absolutely awful at coming up with lyrics and titles to tracks. The pace that Akali wrote lyrics did more than impress Locke, it shocked him. The rapper's marker never stopped moving for the next ten minutes as she essentially wrote an entire story that fit perfectly with the song.

From there, Akali began to choose specific parts of the story to elaborate on. Ahri and Evelynn offered advice while Locke simply sat in silence, not sure what pointers he could give. So instead, he worked on making sure that the track sounded absolutely pristine.

After an hour, Ahri and Evelynn left the studio, leaving only Akali and Locke in the room to work. For a moment, Locke also considered letting Akali work her magic, but he wanted to see how she did it. He understood why the other members left, they realized that their usefulness to Akali had timed out. They would only get in the way of the youngest's creativity.

Akali wrote, erased, and re-wrote over and over again. She replaced words that Locke thought were okay with words that Lock couldn't have even thought of in the moment, not only that, the switch amplified the meaning of the song tenfold. What was originally a story of someone losing something, it became a story about someone understanding that good things fall apart.

Coincidentally, after another hour or two, Akali erased what she wrote at the top of the whiteboard and wrote _Good Things Fall Apart_ instead. The song was complete. Each section, each verse, each word, and even each syllable matched perfectly with the melody that Ahri created.

"Holy shit," Locke breathed. "That was…"

"It's not the best I've done, but it was pretty good," Akali said offhandedly.

The producer grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you fucking kidding me? This is amazing! I've never seen anyone write lyrics this good that quickly!" He hugged the rapper tightly before pulling away. "You're a godsend!"

Akali flushed. "Th-thanks."

"I should be thanking you!" He grinned. "After we finish this track, we can do the instrumental track I played first from yesterday."

"Switch?"

Locke nodded.

"Sweet!" Akali capped the marker and placed it beside the whiteboard. "I'll get the girls."

**/;/**

By the end of the night Good Things Fall Apart had two versions, a synthetic, non-acoustic version, and the acoustic version. Composing the non-acoustic version was simple enough, Locke took the instrumentals from the original piece, increased the lower register on the EQ, added several layers of bass and treble synths, pads, drumkits, and a few swells, risers, and vocal filters to create a traditional EDM or Dance-pop sound. He also had Ahri record a new vocal track for the non-acoustic version so the two pieces didn't sound exactly the same.

"You know," Ahri commented as Locke adjusted the positioning of the vocals in the mix. "When we sought you out, we didn't expect you to be this good."

Locke smirked. "I didn't expect to be this good either, but I guess I was wrong."

"Doubting your talent?" Ahri asked.

"You could say that." Locke said. "But I was more nervous than anything."

"Nervous? Why?"

"I took a risk by doing this," Locke said. "Most classical musicians find your industry, the pop industry, to be less than classical composition."

"Do you think that's true?"

Locke looked at Ahri. "I used to."

Ahri looked offended. "You used to?"

"I'd never interacted with any one in the pop industry until I met you guys," Locke explained. "More than that, I rarely listened to pop music, much less produced or composed anything in that genre." The producer leaned back in his chair. "Can you really blame me?"

"Yes, I think that I can," Ahri said, her golden eyes narrowing. "You really couldn't look past the bias of your peers?"

"No," Locke said frankly. "I suppose I couldn't. Does it really matter what I thought in the past, though?

"I guess it doesn't," Ahri replied. "So, you think we're cool now?"

"You're more than I expected. That's for sure," Locke said with a smirk. "But I'm not complaining."

"Don't let Evelynn catch you saying that."

"Why specifically Evelynn?"

"You caught her eye," Ahri revealed. "That's not exactly a good thing."

Locke raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"You really don't know, huh?"

"I don't have a clue."

Ahri smiled sadly at him. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Just be careful. When the siren calls, it is not always the wisest to listen to her voice."

"Hey, Ahri," Locke began. "What would your management say if I released these tracks at midnight tonight?"

She sighed. "Is there anything I can do to stop you?"

"Just say the word and I won't release it."

Ahri pulled out her phone and called someone. "Eve? Locke wants to release the tracks. What do you think?" A moment later, the line went dead and Ahri sighed. "You know, I really shouldn't be okay with this, but go ahead."

"On the K/DA accounts?" Locke asked with a wide grin.

"You know what? Why not?" Ahri asked with a small smile of her own. With her phone still in her hands, she opened Twitter. "Let me tell Evelynn to post something on her socials hinting to the song."

Locke nodded. "Should I do the same thing?"

"Might as well. I'll tag you in the post."

"Sounds good." Locke fished out his phone and waited for Ahri to post her tweet first.

_Hi, everyone~ I'll be releasing a track featuring siren_eve and rebelprod at midnight tonight. Surprise~!_

Locke chuckled to himself as he liked and reposted the tweet. He quickly wrote up his own tweet.

_I'll be releasing a track at midnight featuring siren_eve and gumiho_ahri. This track also doubles as my official entrance into the pop industry._

As he posted the tweet, Evelynn's also appeared on his timeline.

_Hello, Deevas. I'm happy to announce a surprise track featuring gumiho_ahri and rebelprod being released at midnight tonight. Enjoy._

"What did we just do?" Locke asked. It was still two hours until it would be midnight, and within seconds, each of their tweets had blown up with likes, reposts, and replies.

Ahri muted the tweet and set down her phone. "Something that will definitely be brought up at the meeting tomorrow, if not tonight."

Locke leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "What now?"

"You can set the track to upload at midnight automatically," Ahri explained. "In the meantime, you could look at the replies to your tweet."

"I'll pass." Locke chuckled. "Why would I look at it anyways?"

"It's sitting at 100k retweets, 400k likes, and 300k replies."

"Holy shit," Locke said. "You guys have one hell of a media presence."

"It's one of the most important parts of our job, without a media presence, we'd be nothing." Ahri appeared tempted to scroll down and look at the replies, but she set her phone down.

"Why aren't you looking at it?"

"Don't really want to. I'm worried about the public reception."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad once they get over the initial shock, it'll probably change once we release the song."

"Right." Ahri stretched and yawned. "Alright, I'm gonna head up. You should too. Try and get some rest before Sarah or Taric bombards us tomorrow."

Locke nodded. He set the two songs to upload on the K/DA YouTube and Spotify channel. Without another thought, he shut the lights off in the studio and closed the door behind him.

K/DA Ahri and Evelynn - Good Things Fall Apart (prod. by Rebel)


	4. Chapter Four

“‘I can’t believe Rebel went from composing beautiful songs to making this trash,’” Brianna read from her laptop as she sat beside Locke. “‘LOL. What the fuck is this shitty song?’” She glared at Locke as he laughed. “I’m glad you find this so funny. Have you even read any of the comments on this? ‘Who is this Rebel guy? What’s he doing with K/DA?’ Oh, here’s a good one: ‘What did this Rebel guy do so he could make a song with K/DA? He needs to go back to whatever he was doing before this.’”

Locke groaned and laid back down on his bed. “What’s the point? I know I fucked up. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“Key,” Brianna began, “I’m only holding you accountable. I’m your assistant. You’re supposed to come to me when you want to do something like this. And since you acted so rashly, you’ve not only divided your fanbase, you’ve also caught the attention of K/DA’s fans.”

“Let me guess: they hate me and want to burn me alive?”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

Locke sighed and wrapped himself in his blanket. One would think that the music would be able to sway the opinions of the fans, but Locke realized that train of thought was childish.

“K/DA’s management is going to tear you apart later.”

“Is there  _ really _ no bright side?” 

“There is,” Brianna admitted. “But the comments are more confused than impressed or happy. You released the track at midnight with no previous announcement. It essentially came out of nowhere, and the song sounded nothing like what K/DA or its members have released before.” She put a hand on Locke’s shoulder and gently rubbed it. She smiled softly. “I’m more surprised that Ahri  _ and  _ Evelynn were okay with it.”

“Yeah, you and me both.” Locke sighed. He suddenly sat up. “I’m gonna shower.”

“Alright. We have a few hours before the meeting, I’ll go talk to Ahri and Evelynn. See you downstairs?”

Locke nodded and pursed his lips. Brianna closed her laptop and stretched her arms over head, then she left the room. He watched her leave, feeling disappointed in himself. He knew that he messed up, and now it was up to Brianna to do the damage control. Giving Brianna reasons to be stressed or worried was the last thing that Locke wanted to do to her, and it made it even angrier that it was his fault and no one else’s.

After treating himself to a cold shower that cleared his thoughts, Locke made his way downstairs.

All of K/DA and Brianna sat in the living room, talking about what happened last night.

“It might have been his idea, but me and Evelynn still approved it,” Ahri argued, her phone raised to her ear. Once she saw Locke walk into the room, she mouthed, “It’s Sarah.”

Locke’s heart dropped. He balled his hands into tight fists. Now Ahri was the one being scolded instead of him. He glanced at Evelynn who merely gave him a sad smile.

“No.” Ahri’s eyes narrowed. “We’re not finding another producer for the album.” Locke could hear shouting on the other end of the line. “Sarah—” The leader of K/DA flinched. Then, the line went dead. As if the conversation sapped all of the energy in her body, Ahri plopped down onto the sofa. She rested her head on Kai’Sa’s thighs, as the dancer ran her hand through Ahri’s hair to comfort her. Ahri looked at Locke, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. “She— she said that her word is final. They want you out of the project, and they’re taking the track down.”

Despite fully expecting it to happen, the words hurt Locke more than anything else. And the fact that it was Ahri saying it to him made it worse. A tightness built up in his throat. He nodded and looked to Brianna. “We should pack our things, then.”

Ahri sat up. “W—Wait! Maybe we can do something. Girls? What should we do?”

Her question was met with silence.

Evelynn sighed. “We messed up, Ahri. We got too excited about the track and released it too early. It’s our fault.”

Locke shook his head. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. It’s fine.” 

“Locke—” Ahri began.

“Leave it!” The producer slammed his fist into the nearby wall, causing the wood to crack and splinter. “Brianna, find us a flight to LAX. I’ll pack our things.”

“R—Right.” Brianna opened up her laptop and began to search.

Without another word, Locke left the living room in a state of stunned silence.

**/;/**

The last time that Brianna saw Locke that angry was… never. Even during the most difficult times of his career, he always found a way to stay calm and collected. Brianna, even though she knew that Locke had just told her to search for a flight, was still in the midst of doing damage control in collaboration with K/DA’s management team.

From the other side of the room, Ahri’s sniffles could be heard loud and clear despite her attempts to bury her face into a fuzzy throw pillow.

“Well, that was an unexpected reaction,” Akali said, breaking the silence.

“What now?” Kai’Sa asked, looking at Brianna. “Are you two really just going to fly back?”

Brianna nodded hesitantly. “It might not be today, though. I’m still doing damage control.”

“Right.”

As the conversation died, Brianna’s typing and Ahri’s crying filled the room once again. Kai’Sa comforted Ahri, and Akali glanced between each of her members, her foot tapping fervently.

Evelynn growled. “This is why I hate dealing with management.”

“Eve, if it weren’t for Sarah and Taric, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today,” Kai’Sa explained in an attempt to be the voice of reason. It backfired.

The diva stood up, her amber eyes narrowing into thin daggers as she glared at Kai’Sa. “The only thing Sarah and Taric did was find us opportunities to promote our music. We would be just fine without them.”

“I—”

Ahri stirred and said something that was muffled by the pillow.

“What was that?” Evelynn asked.

“I said that you were right,” Ahri said, setting the pillow on her lap. “But we can’t ditch them now. We signed a contract.”

Evelynn rolled her eyes. “Fuck the contract.”

“Eve—” Ahri began.

“Are you girls seriously going to let that,” she pointed in the vague direction of Locke’s room, “get away from us? Did all of you forget what it was like to be in a studio with him?”

The rest of K/DA stirred in their chairs. Brianna felt a small smile creep up on her.

“That man can create  _ music _ ,” Evelynn said. Her amber eyes lost their furious edge, being replaced by a shining admiration. “He’s the best producer I’ve recorded with in a  _ long _ time. And I don’t know about you, whatever feeling I felt when we were in the studio two days ago is something that I never want to lose.”

“You seem very passionate about this, Eve,” Kai’Sa commented.

“I consider him a friend,” Evelynn explained. “He’s been nothing but kind to us. I don’t see why I wouldn’t care about him.”

“I’m with Evelynn,” Akali decided. “She’s right about everything. Locke’s a friend, and I don’t want to be the kind of person who ditches their friends.”

Kai’Sa nodded. “I agree.”

All eyes shifted to Ahri. The leader sniffled. “I’m with you guys.”

Brianna smiled and closed her laptop, ignoring the email that Sarah had just sent her. “So,” Brianna said. “What’s the plan?”

Evelynn hummed. “You need to convince Locke that he needs to stay, and if you need ask Kai’Sa or Akali.” She turned to Ahri. “Gumiho, you and I are going to the heavy lifting and tell Sarah and Taric that we’re going to cut ties with them.”

“Cut ties? I thought we were just—”

“Ahri, you formed this group in order to escape the restrictions on your creativity that your last label forced on you. And yet here you are, restrained yet again. Aren’t you sick of it?”

Ahri visibly deflated. “I… Yeah. I am.”

“Then why don’t you break out of it?”

Evelynn’s curtness reigned supreme. Her ability to be straightforward and direct with her members impressed Brianna. 

Ahri sat in silence, mulling over Evelynn’s words.

“Are you guys sure about this?” Brianna asked hesitantly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you might get a lot of bad press about this. Breaking a contract with a company and everything.”

“The press can write whatever they want,” Evelynn explained, being the only member who had a lot of negative headlines and articles written about her. “But as long as you communicate effectively to your fans, they’ll stick around. We messed up this time around by sending something out only a few hours before the time of track’s release. That won’t happen again.”

Brianna nodded.

Ahri suddenly shot to her feet. The fear, worry, and nervousness in her eyes was replaced with a fiery golden passion. “Let’s do it.”

“Yes!” Akali hopped to her feet with a grin. 

Kai’Sa stood beside Evelynn completing the circle.

Ahri extended her hand to the center. She looked each member in the eye. Then, she glanced back at Brianna. “Get in here,” Ahri ordered with a grin.

Brianna set aside her laptop and filled in the space between Akali and Kai’Sa. 

“Thanks, Evelynn,” Ahri said, staring the diva in the eyes. “For everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” Evelynn replied. She put her hand on top of Ahri’s.

Akali smiled, putting her hand atop Evelynn’s. “Let’s do this.”

“Together,” Kai’sa said. She placed her hand over Akali’s.

Brianna grinned and rested her hand atop Kai’Sa’s. “To a new K/DA.”

“K/DA!” The girls shouted.

**/;/**

Locke heard shouting coming from downstairs. A moment later, the door to his room slammed open as he finished packing. Akali and Brianna stormed into the room.

“What—” Locke stepped back once he saw the look on their faces. “What’s going on?”

“Akali, unpack his bag,” Brianna ordered. She stepped towards Locke. “We’re staying.”

The producer chuckled. “Didn’t you hear Sarah yelling at Ahri? I’m off the project. There’s no point in staying in Korea.”

Akali opened the luggage bag and began to unpack it.

“Fuck Sarah,” Brianna spat.

“I’m sorry?”

“We’re leaving the management behind, Key,” Brianna explained. “Ahri and Evelynn are going to the office in a few minutes to tell them about it.”

“Didn’t they sign a contract?”

“The contract states that, should all four members of K/DA agree to disband, then the management can do nothing about it.”

Locke was impressed. “That’s a very generous contract.”

“Not generous at all,” Akali explained. “The last thing they expected was for us to disband because of how well we fit with each other. But the contract only defined disbandment as termination of employment with the management, there was no mention of what we did after the termination.”

“So, you guys are fake disbanding?” Locke asked.

“Essentially.”

The cold ache in Locke’s chest warmed. “So… I’m staying?”

“I’m unpacking your things, aren’t I?” 

“Right.” Locke coughed. “I’m sorry about your wall.”

Akali giggled. “It’s alright.”

Locke stood beside her and began to unpack his belongings as well. Reaching into the luggage bag, he picked up a pair of t-shirts. The moment he did so, a box of condoms revealed itself.

Akali froze. Her gaze flickered between Locke and the box. Her cheeks slowly reddened.

Locke sighed and grabbed the box as well. “You didn’t see a thing.”

“That’s kind of hard to do…” she breathed.

“What happened—” Brianna stopped herself, already knowing what Akali saw. She smirked. “You saw his condoms?”

“Why would you bring those?!” Akali screeched.

“Just in case,” Locke said.

“Just in case? Just in case you have sex with one of us?!” Akali asked incredulously. 

Brianna and Locke looked at each other before laughing heartily.

“No, no,” Brianna explained. “Locke gets around, y’know. He told me to pack them for him in the event that he landed one while he was here.”

Akali turned an even brighter shade of red. “I… see…”

“Don’t worry,” Locke said. “That’ll be the last time you ever see that box.”

Akali nodded mutely.

“Akali! Get down here! We’re leaving!”

“That’s my queue.” Akali dashed out of Locke’s room without another word.

The producer chuckled.

“You know,” Brianna began as she sat on his bed. “I haven’t seen you that angry before.”

“That’s because it takes a lot for me to get angry, and even more for me to show it physically.”

She nodded. “What are you going to do about the thing?”

Locke immediately knew what she was talking about. Brianna always referred to it as that. “I might fly back for a day and visit them.”

“Do you want me to come?”

“If it’s not a bother,” Locke replied. He didn’t want to drag Brianna on a thirteen hour flight just so she could accompany him on his visit his parents. 

“It’s not,” Brianna said softly. “I’ll go find us a flight.”

He smiled. “Thanks.”

Brianna came up and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. “Don’t worry about it.” She pulled away. “Come down when you’re finished.”

He nodded. Once Brianna was out of his room, Locke let out a choked sob. He sniffled and wiped his tears away with the t-shirt that he had in his hands. Locke, after he finished hiding any evidence that he cried, headed downstairs.

**/;/**

After an hour, K/DA returned to the house making a loud ruckus.

“We’re home!” Ahri shouted.

Locke and Brianna looked at each other.

“That was fast” Locke commented as the girls entered the living room.

“They tried to put up a fight,” Kai’Sa explained. “But Evelynn shut them down pretty quickly.”

“I made it clear that if they removed you from the album, then we would walk.” The diva sat on the opposite side of the sofa from Locke.

“Did they accept the terms?”

Ahri shuffled her feet. “While, they did, but not in time.”

“What do you mean by ‘not in time?’”

“I gave them to the count of five to accept,” Evelynn said casually, looking at her nails. “They didn’t do it in time.”

“Alright, don’t mess with Eve, I guess.” Locke rubbed the back of his head. “Are you sure the press won’t eat you guys alive for this?”

“They won’t,” Ahri said. “As part of our final agreement, Sarah and Taric said they would do their best to control the damage of our release, which wasn’t that much.”

“Any reason why they did something so kind despite losing you guys?”

“The company wasn’t happy,” said Evelynn. “But Sarah and Taric are still our friends, and they’re not going to let a professional disagreement disrupt that. They weren’t necessarily on our side, but they still wanted to give us a helping hand.”

“So, what now?” Locke asked.

“Now?” Ahri looked around. “Between me and Eve, we have plenty of connections in the industry. I’m sure we can find people that can help us. Not only that, I’ve been around long enough to know the in’s and out’s of promoting.”

Brianna spoke up. “I can help too. I have a lot of experience for scheduling interviews, promotional shoots, and such with Locke; I’m sure that I can help you guys.”

“Locke?” Ahri asked him. “Mind if we borrow your assistant?”

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re in this together,” Locke said. “She’s your assistant too.”

“Great!” Ahri smiled at Brianna. “Told you he wasn’t going to say no.” Ahri stretched, bringing her hands above her head. “Let’s order lunch, we need to talk about what the plan is for this album release.”

That was something Locke could get behind. “To the studio?” he asked.

Kai’Sa chuckled. “Our producer certainly loves to be in the studio, doesn’t he.”

“You guys have no idea,” Brianna said. “That’s practically where he lived. I rarely saw him leave it.”

“You two lived together?” Evelynn asked.

“Yeah,” Brianna said casually.

Evelynn leaned forward. “And you  _ never _ tried to sleep with him?”

Brianna and Locke blushed. 

“That’s—” Locke began.

Brianna slapped his arm. “None of your business!” Turning her attention back to Evelynn, Brianna fought back a blush. “He and I never slept together.”

Locke whispered something obscene under his breath. Unfortunately, Akali and Kai’Sa were both sitting next to him. Both girls turned a bright shade of red.

“I’m so sorry that he put you that, Brianna,” said Kai’Sa.

“I hope your back is okay.” A worried Akali rested her hand atop Brianna’s.

“You two could hear me?” Locke asked.

“You’re sitting right next to him,” Akali said. “It would be hard  _ not  _ to hear you.”

“So you two have slept together,” Evelynn decided.

Brianna groaned. “Yes! Yes, he and I have had sex with each other.” She pouted as she rested her cheek on her hand. “Can we just move on?”

Evelynn chuckled. “I’ll ask you for tips later.”

Locke rolled his eyes, completely unfazed by the directness of Evelynn’s comment.

In that time, Ahri had left the room to order food, when she came back and noticed how red Brianna’s face was, she raised a brow. “What did I miss?”

“Brianna was just telling us about how Locke rammed her—”

“Evelynn!” Akali and Kai’Sa shouted simultaneously, silencing the laughing diva.

Ahri giggled. “I just finished ordering food, it should be here in a bit.” Ahri sat down beside Evelynn. “So, let’s get to thinking up some ideas for the album?”

**/;/**

Locke was frustrated. No, not frustrated, disappointed. Not in Ahri, or Evelynn, or Kai’Sa, or Akali, or Brianna, in himself. They’d spent the last three hours trying desperately to come up with ideas for what the album’s concept was, what its themes were, the message they wanted to convey through it, how many tracks would be in the album, and so many other things that it became overwhelming. And despite spending so long brainstorming, generating ideas, and sharing thoughts, nothing fruitful came out of it. The work they did the previous day ended being useless, as everyone’s opinions on what they wanted the album to sound like had changed.

The  _ only  _ usable aspect of the album they got was how many tracks there were going to be, and even that number hovered between nine and thirteen tracks. Ahri and Akali wanted more tracks in order to extend the play length of the album, while Evelynn and Kai'Sa pushed for a smaller number of tracks in order to increase the quality of each individual track.

They didn't even have a deadline for the album's release... which was the absolute  _ minimum _ in order to actually begin working on something. Everyone sat around the dining room table. Papers filled with ideas, lists, dates, genres of music, plans, possible promotion offers cluttered the entire table. Three laptops whirred beneath the sounds of conversation and debate. Brianna’s fingers flew over her keyboard as she furiously took note of everything that she could— whatever wasn’t already written down, it was Brianna that wrote it down herself.

Akali yawned. “I’m tired. Is anyone else’s brain dead?”

“Isn’t your brain always dead?” Locke asked with a sly grin. 

“Shut up,” Akali muttered. Her forehead hit the table. She groaned. “We got  _ nothing _ done!”

“We…” Brianna began, her eyes scanning her monitor frantically. “We have how many tracks are in the album. Sort of.”

“Nine,” Evelynn said frankly.

“Thirteen,” Ahri shot back.

“Nine.”

“Thirteen.”

“Ni—”

“Okay!” Locke shouted. “Let’s get at least one more thing done: the deadlines. We need deadlines if we want to do this right. Any ideas?”

“Fall releases are popular,” offered Kai’Sa.

“True.” Ahri tapped her nails on the table. “Summer is a good time too.”

“Fall or summer depends on the tone of the album,” Locke countered. “Do you guys have any ideas if you want it to sound more melancholy, more somber, more introspective, or did you want to sound happier, more joyful, more carefree.”

“The first one,” Akali immediately said.

Everyone else nodded.

“With what happened today,” Akali began. “I think it would do us some good to be more introspective, to write songs that we truly do what to sing and perform, regardless of what the fans think or what any label wants us to do.”

Ahri nodded. “Even after being together for a year now, we still don’t know who we are, we still don’t know what our sound is.”

In that moment, Locke had an epiphany. He grabbed one of the few remaining empty sheets of paper and clicked his pen. He wrote something down. “I have an idea.”

“For?” Evelynn asked.

“The name of the album.” He lifted the paper to show everyone. “SE/LF.”

“Why the slash?” Brianna asked.

“Well, like Ahri and Akali said, for the longest time they never got the chance to figure out who they are as a group, and that includes who they are as individuals as well. Maybe the best way to do that is to make an album about finding who you are in the world, finding your place, finding where you belong.” Locke smiled somberly. “The slash symbolizes the lack of self-identity that K/DA had during the creation of the album, and, if we ever get the chance, when we create the second album, we can lose the slash because—”

“Because we’ll have discovered who we are,” Evelynn finished.

The reasoning stunned the rest of K/DA into silence, only the whirring of laptop fans filled the room.

“I told you it’d be a good idea to convince him to stay,” Evelynn said.

Ahri momentarily frowned. “R—right. We still need a release date.”

“What about the first day of fall next year?” offered Brianna. 

Locke tilted his head, unsure of how that would go. “That’s a popular release date, though.”

“I think we can overtake anyone who releases on that day,” Ahri said with a grin.

“Are you sure?”

The leader of K/DA’s golden eyes sparked with determination. “I’m sure.”

**/;/**

At around 11 P.M., everyone was in their room besides Locke and Kai’Sa. He hadn’t gotten the chance to speak one-on-one with the lead dancer yet, and he felt bad about that considering she was always cleaning up after him in one way or another. He leaned against the counter, resting elbows on the surface and his chin on the palm of his hand.

“Here to finally talk to me?” Kai’Sa asked as she scrubbed down a plate before rinsing it with water. 

“Ouch,” Locke said. “The last couple of days have been pretty hectic, alright.”

“Fair enough,” Kai’Sa smiled at him.

Out everyone in K/DA, Locke genuinely thought that Kai’Sa was the prettiest. Sure, Evelynn was incredibly alluring and sexy, Ahri had a youthful but still mature air about her, and Akali put on the face of a badass rapper very well, but in terms of pure looks, Kai’Sa was the queen.

Her smile momentarily stunned Locke. “So, why did you join K/DA?”

“Re-using questions in your attempt to woo me, Locke?” She put a hand on her chest. “I’m offended.”

“You’re actually the first one in the group that I’ve asked that.”

Kai’Sa giggled, a sound that Locke could genuinely hear every minute and not get sick of. “I see.” She walked past him and sat on the couch, crossing her legs. “I’ve always loved dancing and singing. And after I convinced my parents that it was okay, I reached out to Ahri and showed her my dance covers. I landed an audition date, tried out, and became an official member a month after the audition.”

Locke sat on the opposite side of the sofa as Kai’Sa. He leaned back into the soft material. “That was less exciting than I expected.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Kai’Sa bowed her head slightly, a smile danced across her lips. “How are you handling Evelynn’s advances?”

“With minimal shock.” Locke sighed. “Is she always this forward?”

“Most of time, no,” the dancer explained. She ran a hand through her indigo hair to remove the knots and tangles. “It seems that she’s taken a particular interest in you.”

Locke smirked. “How horrifying.”

“She’s not so bad,” Kai’Sa said reasonably. “But you’re not on the market, are you?”

What a strange way to put it. “Yes, I’m not looking for anybody right now.”

“A shame,” Kai’Sa commented.

“Why?”

Kai’Sa shot him a look that dripped with passion and desire. “I would love to have you in my bed tonight.”

Locke felt heat creep up into his cheeks. He definitely wasn’t expecting her to be so forward. “Any particular reason why?”

“You repaid my friends’ risk to cut ties with Sarah and Taric by giving them an absolutely awesome album concept to work with.” The woman stood up strutted towards Locke. He stared at her mile-long, exposed pale legs. “You’re also a talented musician and producer, probably one of the best in our generation.” Kai’Sa brought her legs on either side of Locke as she sat on his lap. The dancer steadily ground her hips against Locke. She lowered her head. Soft, whispered words flooded Locke’s ear. “It also helps that you’re  _ very _ handsome.”

Definitely not being his first rodeo, Locke reached around Kai’Sa and grabbed her hips. His hands wandered further down and he grabbed her full and supple butt. “I might not be on the market, but…” He gently kissed Kai’Sa’s neck. “That can change.”

“Oh?” Kai’Sa challenged. She pressed her hips harder onto Locke’s growing length. “And here I thought you would be able to resist little old me.”

Locke continued to kiss and suck at the dancer’s neck. He pulled away and stared at Kai’Sa, taking in every inch of her face. 

Kai’Sa leaned forward, her lips barely touching Locke’s as she spoke. “Cat got your tongue,  _ Rebel _ ?”

He let out a nearly silent growl that sent shivers down Kai’Sa’s spine. Locke stood up, taking Kai’Sa’s legs and wrapping them around his waist. As he ascended the stairs, Kai’Sa kissed him deeply, almost knocking them over. Locke threw open the door to his room and entered, the dancer now giving his neck an almost desperate level of attention with her lips. A moment later, he locked the room shut.

**/;/**

Locke awoke with his arms wrapped around a bundle of warmth. Ah. Right. Kai’Sa. He looked down to see that the dancer was sleeping comfortably, her chest rising and falling smoothly. With what little sunlight managed to sneak its way through the closed curtains, Locke stared at her as she slept, still entranced by her beauty.

Kai’Sa stirred; then, her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him, and a small smile appeared on her lips. “Morning,” she breathed.

Locke returned the smile. “Good morning.”

“What time is it?”Kai’Sa asked through a yawn.

He sat up and checked the time. “It’s—”

A series of knocks sounded at the door. “Locke? Are you awake? Can you help us look for Kai’Sa?” It was Ahri. The leader of K/DA. Of which Kai’Sa is a part of. 

The couple looked at each other.

“What do we do?” Locke asked in a hushed tone.

“I don’t know,” Kai’Sa whispered. “Maybe just be honest?”

“Eve is going to murder you and me.”

“She won’t.”

“Kai’Sa—”

Her purple eyes looked up at him. “Please? Just be honest?”

“Locke?” Ahri asked again. “Are you there?”

“Uh..” Locke cursed. “Kai’Sa’s in here.”

“Huh? She’s—” Ahri cut herself off. “I see. Well. I hope you two used protection. We’ll be downstairs.”

Locke winced. “Do you think she’s mad?”

“Maybe just irritated.” Kai’Sa sat up. The bra that was loosely put on last night came free, revealing the dancer’s petite, pale breasts. She only looked mildly annoyed. “Come on, let’s shower. I’m feeling a little sticky.” As she stood up and walked to the bathroom door, Kai’Sa looked back and Locke. “Join me?” She winked.

Who was Locke to deny the request of a woman?

**/;/**

“So,” Akali began, “Locke and Kai’Sa fucked?”

Ahri’s forehead slammed into the table. “Yes,” she mumbled. “They did.”

“Shame that he went to her first.”

Ahri’s head snapped up at the Akali’s words. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying that had I been alone with Locke, I probably would’ve tried to fuck him too.”

“Akali!” Ahri scolded.

The youngest put her hands up in surrender. “It was just a comment. Don’t tell me that you don’t want to sleep with him.”

Ahri looked abhorred. “He’s a friend! Of course, I wouldn’t want to sleep with him.”

“Brianna disagrees,” Akali commented with a smirk.

“Hey! It was one time.” Brianna pouted.

“One?” Akali challenged.

“Okay! It was twice,” Brianna admitted.

“Two?!” Ahri shouted. “Does everyone approach sex casually now or something?”

Brianna shrugged. “I mean, I slept with him because I was just really horny.”

“So it’s out of convenience?”

“Sometimes?” Brianna sighed. “He’s changed since then, he hasn’t slept with anyone in months.”

A door upstairs opened and Akali immediately shushed the other two girls. Evelynn wandered into the kitchen, her face the absolute epitome of death.

“I never expected Kai’Sa to be a screamer,” the diva commented as if it were the most useful bit of information that had ever existed. “Or to be able steal Locke away from me so quickly.”

“Is it really stealing if he never returned your advances?” Ahri asked frankly.

“Don’t rub it in my face so plainly, Gumiho,” Evelynn snapped. “I’ll have to have a discussion with Kai’Sa about stealing men away from me. And how there ways in which she can muffle herself.”

Another door opened upstairs, and Kai’Sa and Locke entered the living room. Akali noticed that there was a slight glow about them, as if all of their stress was removed.

“So,” Locke began. “I’m assuming that everyone knows?”

Kai’Sa hit him. “Locke!”

“Yes,” Evelynn said, glaring daggers at Kai’Sa. “We all know that you two fucked.”

The dancer winced. “Sorry, Eve.”

Evelynn waved her off. “It’s fine. Are you two dating now?”

Locke looked at Kai’Sa. “Neither of us are sure yet. It might have been just a one-time thing.”

“And that isn’t going to mess up the dynamic?” Ahri asked, afraid of the consequences of a one night-stand between friends.

Both Locke and Kai’Sa nodded.

“If anything,” Kai’Sa said, “it brought us closer. After we, uh.. did it, last night, Locke and I had a long talk.”

Locke facepalmed. “Poor choice of words, Kai’sa.”

“Locke and I talked about our fears, worries, concerns for the album creation process, amongst other things.”

“Next time,” Evelynn said. “Please muffle yourself, the rooms aren’t soundproofed.”

Kai’Sa chuckled. “Who knows, Eve, it might be you next instead of me.”

Locke groaned. “Can we please not treat me like something to be passed around? I do have emotions, you know.”


	5. Chapter Five

“I’m incredibly excited to announce that I will in fact be in the studio with John Williams and other producers for the soundtrack to Star Wars Episode IX. I’m ecstatic at the fact that Lucasfilm and Disney is allowing me to participate in the creation of another Star Wars soundtrack.” 

Locke heard himself from the TV in the living room. It was his MTV interview that he’d recorded almost two weeks ago.

“And it seems that Locke Willow also recently took a dive into the pop world by releasing a track titled  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ featuring K/DA’s Ahri and Evelynn.”

Locke closed his laptop and moved from the dining room to the living room. Kai’Sa was wearing white, wireless earbuds as her gaze flickered between the screen of her laptop and the TV. There was a small smile on her face as she watched the interview. She wore a matching set of silky black pajamas. A shame that it was a pair of pajama pants and not shorts.

Ever since he and Kai’Sa spent the night together, which was a little over a week ago, she’d been a lot more affectionate towards him. Not that he was complaining. Whenever he and Kai’Sa were alone, the dancer sat near him, stole kisses from him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and generally treated their relationship as if the two of them were dating.

Ahri had knees drawn to her chest and a fuzzy white blanket drawn over her small body. She heard Locke enter the room and she glanced at him. “Oh, hey, Locke.”

Locke sat beside Kai’Sa. The indigo-haired dancer leaned her head on his shoulder. “Any reason why you guys are watching my interview?”

“We saw it on our recommended, so we just decided to play it,” Kai’Sa explained. “What have you been doing?”

“Making up a list of tracks and what each one would sound like.” Locke quickly stood up, much to Kai’Sa’s momentary dismay, and grabbed his laptop. He presented it to to Ahri and Kai’Sa. “It’s not much, but it’s a start.”

“Locke,” Ahri said, her eyes widening at the sight of the list. “This is amazing!”

The list was just a rough sketch for what the album would possibly look like. He had Akali and Evelynn to thank for a large part of it as well; those two made his job a lot easier, mostly because they knew how the dynamic of the group so well.

_ K/DA - SE/LF _

_ (1) Dance-pop - Kai'Sa and Akali Duo Track _

_ (2) Trap-pop - Evelynn, Akali, and Ahri Trio Track _

_ (3) EDM, Pop - Evelynn and Ahri Duo Track _

_ (4) K-Pop - Group Track _

_ (5) K-Pop- Group Track _

_ (6) Acoustic - Evelynn Solo Track _

_ (7) Ballad - Ahri Solo Track _

_ (8) K-Pop - Kai'Sa Solo Track _

_ (9) K-Hip-hop - Akali Solo Track _

_ (10) K-Pop - Ahri and Akali Duo Track _

_ (11) Acoustic - Evelynn and Ahri Duo Track _

“I think we should move the group tracks to the top,” suggested Kai’Sa. She grabbed the remote and paused the video of Locke’s interview. “Start as a group and then go one-by-one from there, you know?”

“Like this?” Locke sat between the girls and to adjust the list to their preferences. After about two hours of brainstorming and debating between which tracks needed to go where, how many Korean songs there would be, which girls would be paired for which tracks. 

_ K/DA - SE/LF _

_ (1) INTRO: LO/ST _

_ (2) K-Pop - Group Track _

_ (3) K-Pop - Group Track _

_ (4) K-Pop - Evelynn, Akali, and Ahri Trio Track _

_ (5) K-Pop - Evelynn, Kai’Sa, and Ahri Trio Track _

_ (6) Dance-pop - Kai’Sa and Akali Duo Track _

_ (7) EDM, Pop - Ahri and Evelynn Duo Track _

_ (8) R&B - Evelynn Solo Track _

_ (9) Ballad - Ahri Solo Track _

_ (10) Dance-pop - Kai'Sa Solo Track _

_ (11) K-Hip-Hop - Akali Solo Track  _

_ (12) OUTRO: SE/LF _

Ultimately, that was the tracklist organization they decided on. It took some time to convince Kai’Sa on increasing the number of tracks, but they had over a year to work on the album, a time frame that Locke knew he would use well.

“Good job, team. Now all that’s left is to compose, record, and mix all of these songs.” Locke sighed and leaned back into the sofa. 

Kai’Sa put a hand on Locke’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll be here.”

Ahri nodded. “Yeah! We’re a team now, which means we’re stuck together.”

Locke smiled. “Thanks.” He stretched and looked back at the massive TV that hung from the wall on the opposite side of the couch. He took the remote from Kai’Sa’s lap and played the video.

The video transitioned from Locke’s interview to a desk that four people sat around.

“See,” one of them said, “I’ve heard some rumors that the reason Rebel moved from working in the film score industry to the pop industry.”

“Oh?” Another questioned despite knowing the answer she would receive.

“I heard that he had a dispute with John Williams and even some of the Lucasfilm management on one of the tracks from the soundtrack for Star Wars Episode IX,” the initial commenter finished. “If I was him, I’d want to run to another industry too.”

Locke sighed. Of course, Chase would willingly jump on the drama.

“And it looks like he didn’t do so hot with the release of his track with K/DA’s Ahri and Evelynn either,” another person said. The video transitioned once again to images of some of the responses to Locke’s tweet regarding the release of  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ . “Some people  _ really _ didn’t like this release.”

Kai’Sa shut off the video. “Some people really love to feed on drama, don’t they.”

Locke shrugged. “It’s fine, and they’re not exactly wrong either.” 

“You ran to us after your dispute with your boss?” Ahri asked.

“It’s an incredibly crude way to put it,” Locke explained. “But it’s not entirely wrong.”

Kai’Sa frowned. “So we’re a second choice?”

“A first choice,” Locke said. “I was going through a lot during that time. Stress got to me after I butted heads with John. I caved and decided to take a leap of faith, after some convincing, of course.”

“Who convinced you?” asked Kai’Sa.

“True Damage’s Senna,” Locke said with a smile. He missed them.

“Ah, Akali’s told us about them,” Ahri said. “They seem nice. I wasn’t aware you knew them.”

“They’re huge movie fans. They went to all the premieres, and they were the ones to actually approach me first. I was surprised when they told me that they loved my work.” 

“I see—”

“Locke,” Brianna suddenly interjected as she stepped into the living room. “Is the 30th fine with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Locke said. “Thanks, Bri.”

The blonde disappeared once again.

“What was that about?” Kai’Sa asked

“I’ll tell you guys later.” Locke fought back the shaking of his hands. He shivered. “I just have to visit some people in the States for their birthday,” he explained.

Ahri stood up and stretched, the fuzzy blanket now draped like a cloak over her shoulders. “How long will you be staying in the States?”

“Not too long, probably a few days.”

Kai’Sa gave Locke a look that knew he’d have to explain it in further detail to her later.

“I’m gonna shower and get to work on trying to get us some promo,” Ahri said. “See you two in a bit.”

Or he’d explain it to her now. 

Kai’Sa leaned closer to Locke. “Are you okay?”

“I—” The shaking in his hands returned, and this time he was unable to fight it off. His hands began to shake violently. Even with the help of Kai’Sa, his hands continued to shake. “Get— Get Brianna,” Locke choked out. “Please.”

“Are you—”

“Kai’Sa!” He shouted. “Please.”

The dancer nodded and sped out of the living room.

As she left, Locke’s vision threatened to darken as the white walls of the living room vanished underneath a sea of darkness. And then his vision returned as Brianna rested her hands atop Locke’s.

She hugged him tightly as she did so, drawing Locke from his stupor. Brianna pulled away and cupped his cheek. He stared into Brianna’s golden brown eyes with a weak smile. “Thanks,” he whispered.

Brianna nodded. She turned back to Kai’Sa, her eyes alight with fury. “What did you do?”

Kai’Sa raised her hands in surrender. “I just got closer to him and—”

Brianna sighed. “You need to watch your distance, and to be more observant.”

“I understand,” Kai’Sa said. “It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” Brianna turned her attention back to Locke. She interlocked her fingers with his and stroked his hand with her thumb.

Kai’Sa saw the interaction and looked down at the floor. “Is.. is there anything I can do to help?”

Brianna looked at Locke, then back to Kai’Sa. “He has residual trauma from an incident regarding his family. Do your best to avoid asking questions about it unless he tells it to you himself,” she explained. “If you see his hands start to shake, then find me as soon as you can. And don’t leave him like you did this time, drag him with you if I’m more than a shout’s distance away.”

Kai’Sa nodded. “I understand.”

“I’m okay now, Bri,” Locke said.

“I’m sorry, Locke. I should’ve known and—”

“Kai’Sa, it’s fine. There’s no way you would’ve known. Thank you for getting Brianna as quickly as you did.”

“I’m sorry.” The dancer shuffled her feet. “I’ll just be in my room.”

“Kai’Sa—”

She ignored him as she spun on her heels and ascended up to the second floor.

“You gonna go comfort her?” Brianna asked, letting go her Locke’s hand.

“Do I have to?” Locke asked with a raised brow.

“Key…” She lightly hit him. “Go.”

**/;/**

Locke knocked on Kai’Sa’s door. “Kai’Sa?” he asked trepidatiously.

“Yes?” Her voice called out.

“Can I come in?”

After a few seconds, the door opened. The dancer wore a loose white sweater with the hood pulled over her head, covering her face. Kai’Sa laid down face-first on her bed as Locke came into her room.

Unsurprisingly, the dancer’s room was in pristine condition. The queen-sized bed in the center of the right-hand wall was made perfectly, and there was not a piece of clutter on the carpeted floor. The room itself was larger than Locke imagined it would be. A white L-shaped desk rested on the right side of the bed, a computer tower placed against the wall, with three extended display monitors that displayed a full-body image of K/DA. The entire wall on the opposite side of the door was full of pieces of fan art, movie posters, posters of game characters, polaroids, and laminated photos.

The door to Kai’Sa’s bathroom was ajar, a pale light leaked between the cracks into the almost pitch black room. 

Locke laid down beside Kai’Sa. He cautiously placed his hand on top of hers. Her fingers naturally interlocked with his.

“Locke,” Kai’Sa murmured.

“Hm?” 

She turned towards him, her hood flopping over half of her face. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Oh.”

The conversation died. Kai’Sa began to slowly stroke his hand with her thumb. The duo laid together, remaining at an arm’s length but they didn’t release their hands.

“I’m okay now,” Kai’Sa said.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. 

Locke sat up and attempted to let go, but Kai’Sa tugged on his hand. “Kai’Sa—”

“I didn’t say that I wanted you to go.”

Locke sighed. “We have work to do—”

“We have a year until the album comes out.”

“Kai’Sa, that isn’t exactly a long time,” Locke attempted to explain. “Look, just—”

Kai’Sa pulled even harder on his hand, causing Locke to fall on top of her, taken by surprise at the amount of strength she exerted from her small frame. He could smell her perfume, it was the very same perfume she used when they slept together: vanilla and flowers. “Just hold me.” Her breath was hot against his cheeks. “Please?”

Locke stared into the dancer’s shining purple eyes. “Okay.”

Adjusting their positions, Locke wrapped his arms around Kai’sa as she faced away from him. He looked down at her, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she was eventually lulled to sleep. Locke soon followed after her, Kai’Sa’s warmth easing him into a rest that he didn’t know he needed.

**/;/**

Locke awoke at the same time as Kai’Sa. 

“It’s five in the morning,” Kai’Sa informed, the light of her phone screen illuminating the ceiling. “Do you want to go back to sleep?”

Locke rubbed his eyes. “When did we go to sleep?” 

“Around eight or nine last night.” Kai’Sa adjusted herself so she could rest her head against Locke’s chest. “You’re so warm,” she breathed into him.

“I think I should be saying that about you,” Locke replied, resting his chin on top of Kai’Sa’s head.

They remained like that for a few minutes. 

Kai’Sa pulled Locke closer to her. “Have I convinced you yet?”

“Of?”

“Whether or not you want to officially be together.” Kai’Sa looked up at him, purple orbs staring inquisitively into Locke’s cold blue eyes. When he didn’t respond, she visibly deflated. She lowered her head and pushed her face against his chest. “You can reject me. I’m a big girl.”

“I’m still thinking about it,” Locke replied. He ran his hand through the dancer’s indigo hair. “But I’m leaning towards yes.”

Kai’Sa thanked the stars that it was pitch black, otherwise Locke would have seen her face turn a brilliant shade of red. “Don’t get my hopes up, please.”

“I won’t.” Locke continued to stroke her hair.

Kai’Sa hummed. “Keep doing that, it feels nice.”

“Really? You sure you wouldn’t have me pull it instead?”

“Locke…” Kai’sa buried her face in Locke’s chest. 

He laughed. “Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Locke looked down at Kai’Sa. “Hey.” When she looked up at him, he planted a kiss right on her forehead. 

If it was possible, Kai’Sa became even more red. “Please don’t lead me on, Locke.”

“Can I be honest?” Locke asked.

Kai’Sa nodded as they stared into each other’s eyes. “Please.”

Locke pressed his forehead against Kai’Sa’s. “The only reason why I’m not dating you is because I’m scared.”

“Of?”

“What people might think, what they will say, what they’ll do.” His gaze flickered between Kai’Sa’s lips and her eyes. Locke smiled, but it was one of the saddest smiles that Kai’Sa had ever seen. One that had so much pain and sadness behind it, that it nearly broke her heart. “But most of all, I’m afraid of what I’ll do to you.”

“Why?”

“I have a lot of baggage, Kai’Sa. It took Brianna years to adjust to all of it.”

“You don’t think I’m capable of that?”

“You are. I’m just warning you.”

“Does… does it have to do with what happened last night?”

Locke nodded.

“I… I want to help. I want to be there for you. I want to make you happy.”

“And if it all comes crashing down?” Locke countered, his gaze fully on Kai’Sa’s lips.

“Then we’ll fall together.”

Without another word, their lips met.

“Tired?” Kai’Sa asked after they finished kissing. 

Locke shook his head. “I’ve never been more awake.”

“Good.” Kai’Sa swung her leg over Locke and got on top of him. She grabbed the bottom of her sweater and lifted it over her head, causing her perky pale boobs to jiggle slightly. She tossed the sweater to the ground as she leaned down so she her lips were inches away from Locke’s. “Let’s stay in bed a little while longer, yeah?”

**/;/**

It had been almost a full month since Brianna and Locke landed in Seoul. And in that month, Locke became a hidden fifth of K/DA. He saw the girls as his family, and amongst his closest friends. During that month, there had been a lot of surprises— almost being removed as head producer for K/DA’s album, K/DA disbanding in order to reform as an independent group with no management, creating a full song in within two hours of studio time— but the biggest surprise of all was Locke’s relationship with K/DA’s lead dancer, Kai’Sa.

Everyone else in K/DA took it well enough, even including Evelynn’s slight disappointment. Akali said she knew it was inevitable, and Ahri was worried that would become a PR nightmare should the two ever be seen in public together. 

Locke reassured her that everything would be fine. He and Kai’Sa were homebodies, even more so because of how expansive the K/DA house was. Neither of them ever developed the desire to go out; Locke lived in the recording studio, and Kai’Sa lived in the dance room.

Everyone sat around in the living room, either on their phones, their laptops, or watching the variety show that Ahri had put on. Kai’Sa draped her legs over Locke’s lap as she scrolled through her phone. Locke spoke up. “Brianna and I are going to fly back to the U.S. for two days before flying back.”

That got everyone’s attention. “Why?” Evelynn asked.

“It’s a bit of a long story…” Locke glanced at Brianna who nodded in reassurance.”I’m from northern California, and fires can break out fairly often during the spring and summer. And my parents and little brother lived in pretty much in the middle of nowhere. About half-way through my first year in college, while I was living at the dorms, there was a big fire near where my family lived.” His hands began to shake. Brianna walked over and interlaced her fingers with his, comforting him and forcing back the shaking. “I—I didn’t even know that anything had happened to them until a police officer knocked on my dorm’s door and asked to see me.”

Locke forced back his tears as they threatened to spill forth. “My mom, dad, and little brother died celebrating my brother’s birthday. It was the smoke and ash that killed them.” Locke’s words caught in his throat. “Th--that’s why Brianna and I are going back to the States.”

There were numerous sniffles, and Locke realized that everyone besides him and Brianna were, in some way, crying. Kai’Sa was by far the most emotional one, tears stained her cheeks, and her eyes were swollen and red.

“I’m sorry,” Ahri murmured, rubbing her eyes.

The rest of K/DA offered their sympathies, for which Locke was grateful. “Don’t worry too much,” he reassured. “It was years ago. I’m mostly over it now, but thank you.”

“We’re always here for you, Locke,” Evelynn said.

Akali nodded. “When is your guys’ flight?”

“11 P.M. tonight,” Brianna said. “Which means we have to leave by 7 P.M.”

“An hour to kill?” Locke asked.

“Just about.”

“You guys want to do anything?” Ahri asked.

“You still haven’t signed any of my stuff,” Akali said to Locke.

“I totally forgot about that.” Locke rubbed the back of his head. “Woops.”

**/;/**

“Goodnight, Kai’Sa,” Locke said as he waved at the screen of his phone.

“Night,” the dancer replied drowsily. ”You better not have sex with Brianna while you’re away from me.”

“He won’t,” Brianna assured as she appeared in the apartment kitchen, her hair still wet from having freshly showered. “Bye, Kai’Sa.”

“Bye…” The screen faded to black as she ended the call.

Locke finished packing their lunch and he placed everything into a picnic basket. He folded up a traditional red and white checkered blanket and neatly pushed it against the side of the basket. Brianna opened the top cupboard and grabbed some wax and incense sticks, also putting it into the basket, protected by a plastic bag.

“Ready?” Brianna asked.

Locke nodded. He stared at the last picture he and his family took together. It was a Christmas photo.

His mother, Annabeth Willow, was dressed in a bright red sweater patterned with terribly stitched snowflake and snowman designs. She was smiling widely, but the camera caught her mid-blink. His father, Bryant Willow, was dressed in the same exact red sweater as Annabeth, and he had his arms wrapped around the waist of his wife. His smile was more subdued than Annabeth’s, but it was there all the same.

A nineteen year-old Locke Willow sat in the center of the photo wearing an emerald green sweater decorated with a terrifying mashup of ornaments and poorly stitched designs. And in his arms was a boy no older than five. The boy shared a striking resemblance to Locke, if the two weren’t so obviously different in age, then people would think that they were twins.

“Locke.” Brianna put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

He set down the photo and sighed. “Right.”

**/;/**

Kai’Sa set the steaming hot pot on the table as Ahri, Akali, and Evelynn filed into the dining room.

Ahri chuckled softly as she sat down at the table. “Kai’Sa, there’s only four of us today.”

“Oh.” Kai’Sa looked at the table and realized she’d set out six bowls instead of four. “Right.”

“It’s only two days, Bokkie.” Evelynn took the extra plates and returned them to the cupboard. “They’ll be back soon enough.”

“It is a little weird to not see them around the house, though,” Akali said absentmindedly. 

Ahri nodded. “It was strange not to see you and Locke being all over each other,” Ahri said to Kai’Sa, a small grin on her face.

“I…” Kai’Sa’s face slowly reddened. “Let’s just eat, maybe?”

“I’m surprised you managed to seduce him in one night,” Evelynn said as she poured soup into her bowl. “Especially when I was attempting to do so for several nights in a row.”

Kai’Sa shrugged. She was as equally surprised as Evelynn that Locke had so quickly accepted her advances. The dancer often doubted her appearance, especially when she was surrounded by the likes of Ahri, Evelynn, and Akali. “It was unexpected.”

“Was he your first?” Ahri asked.

“Yes.” Kai’Sa flushed. She was ashamed to admit it, especially since she knew that Evelynn and Ahri have had their share of men… more so the former than the latter. She was also fairly sure that Akali was not entirely inexperienced in the field of having romantic relationships with people.

“First boyfriend, or first time sleeping with someone?” Evelynn continued, all too intrigued.

Kai’Sa hid her reddening face by sipping at her soup. “Both,” she said into the bowl.

“She said, ‘Both,’” Ahri repeated aloud.

“Your first boyfriend and you manage to get someone so…”

“Desirable?” Kai’Sa finished hesitantly.

“I was thinking more along the lines of delicious,” Evelynn offered. When Kai’Sa flushed, Evelynn chuckled. “I’m not joking, Bokkie. I did some research, and our little producer was in his high-school yearbook as the winner of the “Best Looking” superlative. More than that, he’s obviously incredibly talented, and certainly one of our generation’s best producers and composers.”

Kai’Sa nodded. “I know.”

“Be careful, Bokkie,” Evelynn said. “Once the world is truly introduced to Locke Willow, there’s no telling who will be chasing after him.”

The dancer’s purple eyes narrowed. “I won’t let them.”

“We know,” Ahri said. She smiled. “We’re here to help. We just want you two to be happy.”

“Thanks guys,” Kai’Sa murmured. “Eve?”

“Yes?”

“Are you really not mad about me and Locke being together?”

Evelynn chuckled. “Believe me, Bokkie, had I wanted to pursue Locke even more, I would have.” She smiled. “Seeing you two together and happy makes me happy as well.”

“Thank you, Eve.”

“I love you guys!” Akali suddenly shouted.

“I love all of you as well,” Kai’Sa said, her smile widening.

“Let’s get back to eating, shall we?” Ahri asked. “The hot pot is getting cold.”

**/;/**

As much as Locke loved living in loud and busy cities, every time he returned to the calming solace of the suburban neighborhoods of northern California was something, he realized that it was truly like returning home. As he and Brianna drove through the long, winding roads, the green and luscious forests eventually gave way to a clearing that extended into the horizon for miles. They drove for another twenty minutes until they a tall, singular tree was visible.

Locke turned his car to the shoulder of the road. “We’re here,” he called to a napping Brianna.

The blonde stirred. She awoke with a yawn and a stretch. “Sorry, Key.”

“It’s alright.” He smiled. “C’mon. We have a birthday to celebrate.”

**/;/**

Locke and Brianna landed in Seoul at around midnight, and it was to Locke’s surprise that it was Evelynn who picked them up. While he and Brianna were waiting for a response from Ahri, Locke heard the howl of an engine, and a matte black Lamborghini Aventador came to a screeching halt in front of them. The window rolled down, revealing a midnight interior kept alight by glowing purple LEDs. Evelynn had one hand on the wheel and a grin on her face. 

“Get in, Rebel,” Evelynn said. “Kai’Sa misses you.”

Locke pursed his lips and loaded their bags into the sports car. Brianna climbed into the back as Locke sat in the shotgun seat.

Evelynn gunned the engine and sped off towards the K/DA house. “How was your trip?” she asked over the sound of the Aventador’s tires rumbling on the pavement.

“Good,” Locke said, holding on to his seat belt as if it were his lifeline. “It was nice to get away from the city for a full day.”

“I can imagine. This life isn’t easy.” She smirked.

“Uh,” Brianna spoke up from the back seat. “Locke?”

“Yeah?”

“Your track is sixth on Billboard’s Hot 100.”

“What?!” he shouted. Evelynn pumped the break in surprise at the sudden increase of volume, causing Locke to lurch forward.

“Locke, please watch your volume.”

He flushed. “Right, sorry. It’s sixth? How? Who’s playing it?”

“A lot of people apparently,” Brianna said. “I guess Sarah and Taric came through on their damage control.”

“Not only that, they managed to get us that high on one of the most important charts on the planet.” Locke leaned his head against the headrest. 

“Hard to believe it, especially after the giant mess we made,” Evelynn commented.

Locke grinned. “So, the only challenge now is to make an entire album.”

“Damn right.”

Locke couldn’t hold back his excitement. He rolled down the window and howled with joy into the night. With his mind cleared, he could finally return to doing what he loved: making music.


	6. Chapter Six

Locke opened the door to the studio and flicked the light switch. The last time he’d been in here was when he and Ahri agreed to upload  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ as a surprise track, which was about a month ago. It was the longest time he’d spent away from any studio, and it was a welcome change. As Brianna had said to him numerous times in the past, he needed to take some time away from working so hard the last five years; and as much fun as he had not working, he desperately missed being in a studio environment.

He sat before the large mixing console, his laptop in his hands. A window to the live room was situated directly in front of him, and he could see the vague outline of the Steinway Grand Piano through the darkness. Locke folded his laptop closed and set it aside. He turned on the studio computer and watched the entire system boot up. Three monitors folded up from inside of the mixing console, the background to the desktop being a photo from K/DA’s POP/STARS promo.

There was a knock at the door, and a moment later Ahri opened it. She was dressed in grey sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt, she had her own laptop in her hands as well as a notebook. She kept her silky blonde hair in a tight ponytail, and she sat on the studio’s couch and placed her laptop on the table in the center. 

“Are the other girls coming?” Ahri asked as she opened up her laptop.

“No,” Locke replied, launching Pro Tools on the computer. “I wanted to work on your solo track first, actually.”

The leader seemed surprised. “Why me?”

“Ahri, you’re the leader, why wouldn’t it be you first?”

“Well…” She visibly deflated, and she looked as though she didn’t want to answer his question. “I just thought that the other girls would be a better starting point for you, or something like that.”

“Why?” Locke challenged.

“They’re more talented than me in most ways,” Ahri said. “And—”

Locke turned to face her. “Ahri, you’re the leader of K/DA for a reason. The identity of K/DA is influenced by everyone, but it’s influenced by you the most. If we’re going to release an album about K/DA’s identity, and its member’s identity, then it would make the most sense to start with you.” Locke smiled softly. “And not just that, I haven’t gotten the chance to really talk to you one-on-one.”

“What about the first day you were here?” Ahri countered.

“We were just learning about each other,” Locke said. “It was sort of like a first date, y’know?” 

“That’s a fair comparison.”

Locke nodded. “So, did you have any ideas about what you wanted your solo track to sound like?”

“Not really.” Ahri chuckled nervously. “I just want it to sound like nothing I’ve ever sung before.”

“Nothing you’ve ever sung before,” Locke repeated. He turned back to the computer and pulled up Ahri’s Spotify account. He chose one of her songs at random and pressed play. The moment it started, Locke knew what to expect. It had an extremely… repetitive sound that felt too robotic, and had almost no purpose and emotion behind it. The song couldn’t have ended sooner in Locke’s honest opinion.

“Sorry to put you through that,” Ahri murmured.

“It’s alright. I’m sorry that you were subjected to make such empty music.”

“At the time, I didn’t know any better,” admitted Ahri. “I thought it was the only way into the industry, so I did what I had to.”

“You were fairly young, weren’t you?”

Ahri nodded. “I was fifteen when I first started, and I spent about two years away from the industry, and then I came back with K/DA.”

“Fifteen?” Locke could hardly believe it. When he was fifteen, he was in highschool doing practically nothing with his life. 

“Yeah, a lot of people who aren’t in the industry find it pretty hard to believe.” Ahri chuckled and rubbed her forearms. “Me especially.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I signed up for an audition, I didn’t even know about it,” she admitted. “My friend did it for me, and she tricked me into thinking it was just a prank we were pulling for a friend to make them think I was auditioning for K-Pop.” So when the cameras were rolling, and the audition managers told me start singing, I did my best. I went home that day without a second thought.”

“You seemed incredibly gullible,” Locke commented honestly. 

Ahri gave him a soft and sad smile. “I was.”

“Were you happy with what ended up happening?”

“I was more than happy, especially with how things are now,” Ahri said. “But back then, when I first started, I thought it was the best thing to ever happen to me.” She scoffed, bitterness and resentment seeping into her voice. “I couldn’t have been more wrong.” The pop star remained silent for a few long moments.

“Are you okay?” Locke asked. “We don’t have to keep going, you know.”

Ahri shook her head. “No, I have to. I  _ want _ to.” She grabbed one of the throw pillows they kept on the sofa and pulled it to her chest. “Those were the unhappiest years of my life. It was so busy, I had no time to rest, and I was so worried about public opinion that I always did my best to stay happy and never show any emotion other than that.”

“Sounds awful, especially for someone as young as you.”

“It was. There wasn’t a day that I was free to rest. Each day, I was modeling, promoting songs, shooting advertisements, doing high-touches and fan meets, interviews, you name it. It was so tiring.”

“I can’t imagine being that busy,” Locke said. “It’s hard for me to even do just one day of interviews.”

“Life as a producer must be very different from being a pop star,” Ahri said.

“You have no idea. The most exposure I get is when I walk the red carpet for a movie that I scored or helped score.” Locke leaned back in the chair. “Most people don’t even recognize me until I tell them who I am.”

Ahri groaned. “That must be so nice. Anyone who sees my face, or my body, immediately knows who I am.” 

Locke crossed his arms. “What caused you to take a break from the industry?”

The pop star flushed. “I… was actually fired.”

“What?!” Locke yelped.

“In the office, they told me it was for insubordination and poor conduct, but in reality it was because my music and merchandise wasn’t selling nearly as much as they wanted.” 

“And… you weren’t at all angry about that?”

Ahri shook her head. “No, at the time, I was furious. But instead of getting revenge, I actually had Sarah help me write a statement that helped me turn the situation in my favor.”

“What about the media, wouldn’t they have released something that contradicted that?”

“Nope!” Ahri said excitedly. “They actually used my statement to refute the official statement from my company, which ultimately forced the company to go under.”

“So, you did get your revenge.”

“As an unexpected but welcome benefit.” Ahri smiled. “I would feel bad, but—”

“It’s both good and bad,” Locke admitted. “But you can’t do anything about it now.”

Ahri nodded. “After that incident, I took time out of the music industry to focus on fashion and cosmetics.”

“And now that you’re back, are you happy?”

“More than happy,” Ahri said. “I’m ecstatic. After our performance at the League of Legends World Championships, I realized how much I missed performing on a stage.”

“Wait. Were the extra bits that you, Kai’Sa, and Evelynn had real?”

“No,” Ahri said with a giggle. “Me and Evelynn had robotic things attached to us, and Kai’Sa was synced with a couple drones that synced with the CGI they used for the performance.”

“Wow. A lot went into that performance, didn’t it?”

“Over fifty hours of rehearsal, both in dress and out of dress. And I don’t even want to talk about how many times Kai’Sa drilled that dance into our heads. It got so bad that Akali started to do the dance in her sleep.”

“Seriously?”

Ahri nodded with laugh. “Seriously.”

Locke, as he listened to Ahri continue to tell stories about her lengthy time working in the fashion and pop industry, came to understand that she was incredibly independent, strong-willed, and, in some cases, cutthroat. And while she never brought up her family during the entire discussion, Locke knew there was a reason why. He just needed to get to it.

“What about your family, Ahri?”

She visibly stiffened. “I…”

Locke immediately understood. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m sorry for pushing.”

“It’s alright. It’s just a difficult topic for me.”

“I understand. So,” Locke said, wheeling his chair back to face the monitor. “You want to sing in a style you’ve never sung before?”

“Mmhm!”

“Well, as far as I can tell, you’ve only sung pop,” Locke said. 

“Uh… yeah.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

Ahri opened her laptop. “I wrote down a few genres that I was interested in.”

“Oh? Read some off to me.”

“Acoustic,” Ahri began. “R&B. Jazz…”

“That’s all that you have?” Locke seemed surprised that was the limit of the list that Ahri developed. “I figured you want to try everything.”

Ahri giggled, her hands covering her mouth. “I was hesitant to write down everything that I wanted to try.”

“What else?”

“Well, there’s rock, soul, ballads, classical, and I even wanted to try rapping.”

Locke wrote down everything on a digital notepad. There was one that interested him in particular. “Ballads?”

“All of the stuff I’ve sang for was often focused on inspirational, happy messages,” Ahri said. “I wanted to try doing something sad or melancholy.”

Locke rolled out the MIDI piano and hooked it up to the mixing console. He’d heard quite a few ballads in his time, and he could probably easily figure out how to compose one. But he wanted this process to feel authentic, to feel as though everyone had a part in it; from Brianna as the group’s assistant, to Akali’s lyrics, to Evelynn’s vocals, to Kai’Sa’s choreography, and to Ahri’s leadership.  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ ’s production process was the closest thing to perfection that Locke could achieve, and it was something he and K/DA managed to do within a day of meeting one another. It was magical, and something he desperately wished to recreate.

The producer looked over his shoulder at the pop star. “Ahri, can you play?” 

“A little, why?”

“I just want you to play something, play whatever you want to play, and I’ll follow along,” Locke said with a smile. When he and Brianna went to the states, he’d packed his cello and his viola. While he would’ve loved to bring his violin, he’d ultimately decided against it because of how likely it would be that someone’s vocals would cover that range. And he was fairly confident in his ability to edit the audio tracks of a digital violin into something that sounded closer to reality. He let Ahri take his seat at the MIDI piano as he grabbed his cello and began to set it up. He rested the endpin on the wooden floor and sat himself on a stool beside Ahri. Locke quickly played a few scales to warm up his fingers, and to tune the instrument.

“God,” Ahri whispered. “Is there an instrument that you can’t play?”

“Anything I have to use my lungs for,” Locke replied with a smirk on his face. “Which rules out some of my favorite instruments to compose for.”

“Any reason why its those in particular?”

“I just don’t have good lungs,” Locke said.

“Poor Bokkie.”

“Ahri—”

The pop star let out a loud laugh as she took in Locke’s reddening face. She cracked her knuckles. “So, you just want me to play?”

“Mmhm, play whatever you want.”

As Ahri rested her fingers on the keys, she paused in thought. Then, she began to play a slow series of chords. It was in A major, and as Locke played, he patiently awaited for her to begin to use her right hand to play the melody.

The moment she began to play, Locke internally sighed in relief. The talent of K/DA’s leader wasn’t understated. He knew she could sing, and she could sing damn well too, but he hadn’t expected her to be able to play the piano. Of course, Ahri wasn’t stellar at the piano, but she was capable enough for Locke to be able to accompany her.

Locke began to play, smoothly sinking beneath the melody as his bow gently ran over the strings. He played in perfect harmony to Ahri, but at this moment, it was just a fun session to create music. Locke couldn’t hear anything that resonated with him in her playing, as terrible as it was to say that.

It was as if the only thing that Ahri knew how to play was the only kind of music she’d been forced to create. Her body and mind didn’t know anything else. And as much as it pained for Locke to admit, it made perfect sense. Performing, creating, and participating in only a single kind of music was one way to dig oneself into an inescapable rabbit hole. 

Locke suddenly stopped playing. “Ahri.”

The pop star flinched and hit a painfully dissonant chord. “Did I mess up?”

“Well.” Locke rubbed the back of his head. “Not exactly. It’s just that… you were playing a pop song, not a ballad.”

“But the tempo and the chords—”

“Perfectly matched a pop song,” Locke finished.

“I… see.” Ahri leaned back in her chair, her body language conveying that she was clearly disappointed; but, whether it was in her self or in Locke’s curtness, he didn’t know. “Do you have any suggestions for me?”

“What music do you listen to?”

“Pop,” Ahri admitted shamefully.

“Is that all?”

She nodded. 

Locke internally debated with how to best explain it to Ahri. “When we listen to only one kind of music, we tend to only be able to create music from that one genre. It sort of works like a funnel, if all you can hear is pop, then all you will be able to create is pop. But if you broaden your vision, open your eyes to the world of music that surrounds you, you will be able to hear  _ everything _ .”

For Locke, seeing the genres of music not as separates but merely parts of a whole meant more to him than anything else. If he refused to learn from what other genres of music taught him, then Locke would never have been able to find success as a composer or as a musician. A holistic approach to music served him infinitely better than a segregated mentality ever would.

He genuinely felt bad for Ahri, and really anyone that wasn’t able to look past the supposed barriers in music, even more so his peers. They were missing out on an entire culture.

“Should I start listening to ballads and stuff then?” Ahri asked.

Locke nodded. “Do everything you can to absorb that knowledge. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.”

Ahri nodded. “Are we done for today, then?”

“We don’t have to be,” Locke said with a smile. “I still want to spend some time on your solo track. Even if we won’t be recording everything, we can still brainstorm ideas about what instruments we could use, what it would sound like, what the song would be about, and stuff like that.”

“Right.”

The producer was glad that Ahri didn’t appear to be taking his advice too harshly. He could hardly call it criticism since what he said was closer to a suggestion than anything else. “So, let’s get to work?”

Ahri grinned.

**/;/**

Locke and Ahri spent over five hours in the studio, and they stepped out just in time for dinner. While the two weren’t able to really record anything, they worked together to the theme and general sound of Ahri’s solo track.

They walked into the dining room at the same time and into the patiently waiting K/DA. Apparently tonight’s main dish was lemon-baked chicken with asparagus and broccoli.

“Watch out, Locke,” Akali commented. “I think Kai’Sa’s eyes are going to burn holes into you.”

Kai’Sa flushed. “You two were just there for awhile.”

“Take it easy, Kai’Sa,” Locke reassured. “We weren’t doing anything like that.” He was surprised that Kai’Sa was the jealous type, but it was also sort of expected. Maybe he’d talk to her later about it. “I was just talking to Ahri about the struggles of composing, especially given how new she is to it.”

Akali’s head perked up. “Ahri’s composing?”

The leader smiled sheepishly. “Sort of. We were just messing around with the piano and Locke’s cello.”

“Locke brought a cello?” Akali repeated incredulously. 

“And his viola,” added Brianna.

“You brought two string instruments?” asked the rogue.

“I did,” Locke said. “Why?”

“Well, I’ve had an idea for a track.”

That garnered everyone’s interest. 

Locke sat forward in his chair. “What kind of track?”

“This dance-pop song with rap.”

The producer glanced at Kai’Sa who was passively listening to the conversation, but was more focused on the plate of food in front of her. “On that note, I’ve been thinking about something. Should we start with the group tracks and then work our way down to the trios, duos, and solos from there? Or would it be better to work the other way around?”

That drove the entire table into a debate between the benefits and drawbacks of either process, mixed in with the occasional break for eating, it was the typical evening at the K/DA house.

“Are we doing anything for the holidays, Brianna?” Ahri asked.

“You girls have to make an appearance for the end of the year award shows: MAMA, Melon Music, MBC Gayo Dae Jejeon for now. And Locke, you’ve got a red carpet appearance for Star Wars Episode IX.”

“Really? I thought that was the last thing they wanted given all the press about me.”

“That might be precisely the reason why they want you there,” Evelynn offered. “It’d be the perfect time to assault you with questions regarding the incident.”

“Ah, that’s fair.” Locke sighed in contentment as he finished the rest of the food on his plate. “When am I flying out?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It’s going to be on the 19th, which is in five days.” Brianna pulled out her phone and showed him the schedule. “You’ve got two days for interviews and the rest are for resting until the red carpet.”

He sighed. “Am I flying alone?”

Brianna shook her head. “No, I’m coming with you. These girls have been through enough music award shows that they can handle themselves.”

“Hey! I’ve done a lot of interviews and red carpet premieres, I can handle myself too.”

“Key, last time you were on the red carpet alone, you tripped over a staircase and into Harrison Ford., people threatened to kill you for touching him.” 

Locke sighed. “Fair. Alright, I’ll start packing then. What time is our flight?”

“11:00 A.M,” Brianna said.

“Wonderful, I can sleep in.” Locke stretched as the rest of the girls finished their food. “I’m gonna head up. See you guys tomorrow.”

**/;/**

Locke folded the last of his clothes and placed it into his open luggage bag that rested on the carpeted floor of Kai’Sa’s room. He decided to start sleeping in the same room as her about two weeks into their relationship, at her constant pleading and begging to do so.

The door opened and an incredibly tired-looking Kai’Sa stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She limped over to Locke and slumped to the ground, loosely wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she whispered into his neck. “Just tired.”

Locke ran his hand down her hand and back. “Do you want to lay down?”

She nodded mutely. Locke wrapped her in his arms and lifted her up. The dancer’s eyes were closed and her head lolled towards his chest. In fear of her possibly having a fever, Locke checked her temperature.

“I’m not sick,” Kai’Sa said as Locke rested his hand on her forehead. “I’m exhausted.”

He smiled softly and set her down on the bed. “Okay, okay.” Locke placed his lips on the dancer’s cheek and then pulled away a moment later, much to her visible dismay. “I have to finish packing, but as soon as I’m done, I can keep you company, okay?”  
“Okay.”

Locke did his best to work as fast as he could, but he wanted to make sure that he had everything. As he packed his toothbrush and other toiletries, he silently wondered what made Kai’Sa fall so quickly for him. Sure, he considered himself marginally attractive and averagely talented, but the dancer was surrounded by men and women who were more attractive and more talented than he was.

He wasn’t jealous by any means, just cautious if Kai’Sa’s motivation for entering a relationship with him. The last thing he needed was to experience heartbreak.

“Are you almost done?” Kai’Sa mumbled as used one arm to prop herself up.

“I am,” Locke replied. “Just give me a moment.” He zipped up the bag and placed it into his luggage. Changing into his pajamas and crawled into position beside Kai’Sa, pulling her close and allowing her to rest her head on his chest. “Any reason why you’re so tired today?”

“I just haven’t seen you as much as I wanted to today,” Kai’Sa whispered into his chest. “You’ve been busy helping Ahri and I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You could’ve joined,” Locke said. “I wouldn’t have complained.”

“It’s okay, it’s in the past. I want to spend time with you now.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

Kai’Sa shrugged. “I don’t know. What’s up with you?”

“I have a question,” Locke began. “Why are you dating me?”

Kai’Sa stiffened at the sudden question, but she eventually answered. “After we slept together, I just couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Kai’Sa pulled him closer. “You were always on my mind.”

“Inescapable?” Locke offered, a small smile on his phone.

“Inescapable,” Kai’Sa confirmed. “I’ve never been in a relationship before. Much less been in love.”

“Love,” Locke repeated.It was something he’d hardly experienced either. At least, he didn’t really remember the last time he’d been in love, or had someone be in love with him. He didn’t really think that he was missing out on much. Maybe he was wrong.

“Yes.Love.” Kai’Sa looked up at him with purple eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. “Do you love me?”

Locke’s reply was instant. “I’m not sure. Maybe? Maybe not?” He rubbed the back of his head. “That’s still a foreign concept to me.”

“How foreign?” Kai’Sa asked as she sidled up closer to him. 

“In all my previous relationships, I could hardly consider them ones filled with love.”

“And how many relationships have you had before me?”

“Five? Six?” Locke chuckled. “I honestly lose track.”

Kai’Sa deflated. “You… lose track? There’s been that many?”

“I’m just not sure whether to count people that I’ve slept with.”

“How many is that?”

Locke cursed his brain for not telling his mouth to shut up. “More people than I’d like to admit.”

“Just guess.”

“Maybe… thirty?”

Kai’Sa froze. “Th— thirty? You’ve slept with thirty girls?”

“Yes…?” Locke said hesitantly. “I know that I’m your first boyfriend, but how many people have you slept with?”

“Just you,” Kai’Sa muttered. “Can’t believe that you’ve slept with so many other girls.” She pouted. “Were they better than me?”

Locke’s silence was enough of an answer.

“Locke!” She hit him. When he shrugged, she hit him again. “How rude.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Your enthusiasm more than makes up for it.”

The dancer’s anger was suddenly replaced with shyness as her face became as red as a tomato. “Really?”

Locke nodded. “Especially when you do that thing with your hips—”

She slammed her hand over his mouth to shut him up. “Okay, okay. Thank you. It’s just surprising that you’ve had so many other girls in your life before me.”

“I could hardly say they were a part of my life,” Locke explained. “Most of the time it was just one-night stands. Are you disappointed?”

“No!” Kai’Sa looked appalled at the accusation. “Not at all. I’m just… kind of sad that I wasn’t your first.”

“I see.” Locke ran his hand through the dancer’s hair as she rested her head on his chest. “Well, if it means anything, I’m more than happy to show you the ropes.”

“What do you mean by—” Kai’Sa’s face turned red. Locke soon realized that he was pretty sure that she thought he meant another kind of  _ rope _ . “I didn’t know you were into that.”

“Wait, Kai’Sa, no. I meant that as in I would show you how to…” Locke struggled to find the words. “Find the most enjoyment in sex.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kai’Sa flipped herself on top of Locke. “Right now?” She asked with a wicked grin on her face. The dancer slowly ground her hips into Locke, causing him to let out a groan.

“I thought you were tired?” he asked.

Kai’Sa rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously going to try and stop me from having sex with you?” She leaned forward and gave Locke a searing kiss that set his mind on fire. Her tongue forced itself into his mouth as he attempted to breathe in. She pulled away, a string of saliva keeping their lips attached. “Are you?”

Locke growled and flipped the dancer over so that he was on top. His hands found purchase on her hair, and he pulled it. Kai’Sa let out a pleasured moan that even she seemed surprised to hear. “That’s surprising,” Locke commented.

“Shut up and  _ fuck me _ ,” she breathed. Passion lit up her purple eyes as she stared up at Locke. “Please…”

Locke smiled, but something itched at the back of his head. He pushed it away and stared almost desperately back at Kai’Sa. Without another thought, the producer and the dancer intertwined themselves in pleasure, not at all knowing what challenges awaited them in the future.


	7. Chapter Seven

Golden rays of sunlight found its way between the gaps of the curtains attached to the living room window. Akali sat on the white sofa, her laptop in her hands and a pair of headphones over her ears. She silently bobbed her head to the rhythm of the song while her fingers flew across the keyboard.

“Akali?” Kai’Sa called from the kitchen. The scent of chicken soup drifted out of the kitchen and into the living. “Can you set up the table? I’m almost done here.”

“Got it!” Akali finished the message and sent it. Stretching her arms as she stood up, Akali walked into the kitchen, grabbing four bowls and four sets of silver chopsticks. She quickly glanced into the large pot that Kai’Sa was emptying vegetables into and sighed in contentment. It was chicken udon soup with bits of sliced, grilled chicken, bok choy, carrots, and shitake mushrooms mixed in. Freeing herself from the clutches of the delicious meal, Akali began to set up the table.

Kai’Sa set down a wooden board in the center of the table. She turned the heat off of the stove, grabbed a pair of mitts, and lifted the pot up before setting it down on top of the wooden board. She began to hum a melody that Akali had never heard before.

“Is that a new song?” Akali asked. She sat down at the table.

Kai’Sa nodded, sitting across from her. “Locke had something written for me before he left.”

“It sounds good,” Akali commented. And in that moment, she remembered that the two of them had a duo track. “Wait. You and I have a duo track on the album, right?”

“Mmhm.”

“Did you want the song to be our duo track?” 

Akali fished out her phone and opened the audio recording app. “Can you just sing the melody into here and I’ll see if I can do something with it?”

Kai’Sa nodded and cleared her throat. She took the phone from Akali’s hands and pressed the record button. She sang the smooth, comforting melody with a vocal ability that Akali didn’t come to expect from Kai’Sa. K/DA’s lead dancer, unfortunately, hadn’t gotten the chance to show off her vocals. Once she was done, Kai’Sa handed Akali back her phone.

“Hopefully it was recorded well,” the dancer said. “Can you get Ahri and Evelynn? We need to finish eating before the end of the hour.”

Akali quickly told both Ahri and Evelynn to come down and eat. The girls appeared in the living room within the next minute.

“Ooh, udon.” Ahri sat in her chair and pushed herself closer to the table. She grabbed the large ladle and poured soup and noodles from the pot into her bowl. 

“The red carpet for Star Wars is tonight, right?” Evelynn asked, nodding to Kai’Sa.

She shook her head. “It’s tomorrow morning.”

“So you won’t be missing it for MAMA?”

“No.”

“That’s good,” Ahri said through a mouthful of udon. “Are you worried that the press will tear him apart?”

“Brianna will make sure he’s okay,” Kai’Sa said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself rather than Evelynn. “And he knows how to keep his mouth shut.”

Akali giggled. “That makes one of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She means that we can all hear you when you and Locke have sex,” Evelynn said flatly. Evelynn set down her bowl. “I do wonder though.”

“Hm?”

“How big is he?” 

Ahri choked. “Eve… Please, not here.”

Akali flushed at the thought, and the mental image. Based on how loud Kai’Sa was during those nights, Akali thought it was safe to say that Locke was decently sized. 

“I haven’t really taken the time to measure,” Kai’Sa revealed. “But he’s big enough.”

“Well, when you figure it out, let me know.” Evelynn tittered. 

“I’m not sharing, Eve,” Kai’Sa said with a frown.

“No one said anything about sharing, Bokkie. I’m just curious, that’s all.”

The dancer sighed.

Soon enough, the rest of the udon was finished, leaving K/DA stuffed and satisfied. They had about three hours to shower, get dressed, and do their hair and makeup for the annual Mnet Asian Music Awards.

“What’s the style for tonight?” Akali asked.

“Brianna sent me an email earlier. She said to dress to the nines,” Kai’Sa explained. She stood up. “Let’s clean up and get ready.”

“The nines?” Akali said, not entirely understanding the expression.

“She means dress to kill,” Evelynn said. “Basically, dress as sexy as possible.”

“I don’t really do sexy…” Akali said with a slight frown.

“Don’t worry about it yet.” Evelynn placed a hand on the rogue’s shoulder. “Go shower and I’ll help you pick something out.”

Akali nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Eve.”

**/;/**

“Your endeavor into the pop industry shocked a lot of people,” the interviewer asked, nearly shoving her microphone into Locke’s mouth. “But it worked out in your favor, seeing as the track has reached the top spot on Billboard's Hot 100. Do you have any other plans in either of the industries you’ve worked in?”

Locke attempted to block out the rapid-fire clicking of camera shutters and the flashing lights as he answered the question. “I have a few plans, but none that I can divulge at the moment.” He smiled. “Just be on the lookout.”

“What about the criticisms that you received as a result of the sudden release?” 

Locke frowned slightly. But he suddenly remembered that the entire red carpet event was being live streamed. He glanced back at Brianna who gave him an encouraging nod. As other celebrities walked past Locke and Brianna, the producer sighed. “I am aware of the criticisms, and I understand where the fans are coming from. I can only say that I will strive to be better about releasing such a project unannounced, regardless of who I am working with.”

The interviewer nodded and smiled at the camera that was filming them. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Willow.”

“Anytime.” Locke gave the camera his best grin before quickly stepping out of the shot and continuing down the carpet. He saw John Boyega and Daisy Ridley in the midst of an interview and gave the two stars a small nod. Brianna trailed behind him, her sparkling black dress reflecting beautifully against all of the lights that beamed down on the carpet. She had her blonde hair in a long braid that trailed down her back. Locke matched her attire evenly with a simple yet dashing three-piece black suit.

They had five scheduled interviews left, and Locke couldn’t wait to be done with them. But it wasn’t because he loathed press, it was because they were all asking him about his song with K/DA and not the movie, the thing that so many of the people here spent an incredibly long time working on. However, it seemed that the stars of the movie were still getting a good amount of press.

“Mr. Willow,” another interviewer began. “There are rumors that you are working with K/DA on an entire studio album. Is there any substance to these rumors?”

Locke froze. His mouth dried up, and he struggled to form a sentence. 

Brianna, noticing that Locke wasn’t responding, stepped in front of him and spoke up. “We aren’t able to disclose specifics, but we are still in close relations with K/DA.”

“Wonderful,” the interviewer replied. “Now, let’s discuss the movie…”

After the initial question, the interviewer began to ask questions regarding Episode IX and Locke’s involvement in the creation of the soundtrack, things the fans were likely genuinely curious about. It was definitely one of the better interviews that Locke did that entire night. And fortunately, the rest of the interviews didn’t ask him a single thing regarding K/DA or  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ , instead asking about the struggles of the composing process, the character traits of the people that Locke worked with, how things worked in a scoring studio compared to a pop studio, and generally stuff that Locke could answer without breaking a sweat. 

Brianna told him later that night that the people who were watching the livestream were vocally expressing their discontent with how often you were asked about things that didn’t matter to the release of Episode IX, and it made Locke happy to know that he and the fans were on the same page.

Once Locke and Brianna finished the last interview, the two all but ran to their designated green room. Locke opened the door and held it for Brianna before following her inside.

“We have about thirty minutes before the movie starts,” Brianna said, glancing at her watch.

“How did MAMA go for the girls?”

“Good. No issues with the red carpet interviews, and they did well reacting to the other artists’ performances.”

Locke nodded. With Evelynn and Ahri to help guide Akali and Kai’Sa, there wasn’t anything to worry about. He still felt a little bad that he couldn’t watch it live, but Korean award shows were always at an ungodly hour in the States, and he needed to get some rest considering he spent all of yesterday and the day before that doing interviews nonstop.

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Judging from the rhythm of the vibrations, it was Kai’Sa. Locke quickly answered and held the phone up to his ear. “Yes?”

“Great job on your red carpet walk,” Kai’Sa said. 

“Thanks, you too.”

“Did you even watch it?”

Locke winced. “No. I couldn’t. I was tired from doing press all day yesterday.”

“Fair enough.” There was a pause and some chatter in the background. “Ahri wants to know what you were asked during your interviews yesterday.”

“It was a lot about  _ Good Things Fall Apart _ and whether or not I would be working more with you guys,” Locke said. “But there were a few interviews where they only asked me about the movie.”

Kai’Sa repeated what Locke told her to Ahri. There was more chatter. “No, Evelynn, I’m not— Wait, seriously? Okay, why not.”

Locke sighed. “Is Evelynn asking how big my dick is?”

“She is, and she’s bargaining a car for it.”

“Seriously?!”

“She’s dead serious.”

“No, I’m not!” came Evelynn’s yell through the phone. “Kai’Sa is lying.”

“Just tell her, Kai’Sa,” Locke said.

“No! Why do you want to tell her?”

“So she can shut up.”

Locke could only hear silence from the phone.

“Fine.” Kai’Sa cleared her throat. “Seven.”

“Seven inches?!” Ahri yelped. “Seriously?!”

Brianna gave Locke a sideways glance. “You really told them? Have you ever thought about your own privacy?”

Locke shrugged. “It’s just a dick, I don’t really see what the problem is.”

“Fair enough.” Brianna stood up. “Hang up. I need to fix your hair before we go.”

“Okay.” Locke turned his attention back to the call. There were screams of protest, especially from Kai’Sa. “Kai’Sa, I have to go.”

“I heard,” Kai’Sa said. “Bye. Love you.”

“Bye.” Locke hung up.

“You didn’t say it back to her,” Brianna pointed out.

“Yeah. I noticed.”

“Why?” 

Locke scoffed. “It’s because I wouldn’t have meant it.”

“Key…” Brianna frowned. 

“Don’t give me your, ‘Key…’ bullshit, Brianna,” Locke spat. “I figured you’d be the one person who would understand.”

“Locke,” Brianna began. “Let’s just talk about this later, okay?”

The producer’s eyes darkened. He’d known her long enough for him to know exactly what those words meant. “You mean we’ll just never talk about it again? Like you always do?”

“Locke—”

“Just say it to my face, Brianna.”

“I just don’t understand where all of this anger is coming from!” Brianna exclaimed. She threw her hands up in frustration. “What are you so angry about?”

Locke sighed, the anger within him being replaced by sheer disappointment.

“Now you’re the one that doesn’t want to talk about what’s wrong.”

“Just fix my hair.” Locke turned away from her and stared into his reflection in the green room’s mirror. The vanity lights that surrounded the mirror cast a gentle white glow on his face. She had a point, but he wouldn’t concede it to her. As Brianna picked up the bottle of hairspray and a comb, she began to attend to his hair.

After some time, Brianna spoke up. “Are you still angry?”

Locke shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

Brianna combed the back of his head slowly, calmly. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“So, what were you so angry about?”

Locke looked at her through the reflection of the mirror. “Just… don’t mention the fact that I didn’t say it back to her.”

“I figured,” Brianna murmured. “I didn’t think it was something you still struggled with.”

“What do you mean? It was the entire reason that you and I never dated.”

“Yeah, but after that conversation, you kept sleeping with other people,” Brianna explained. “I thought you’d gotten over it.”

“That’s…” Locke trailed off. “Fair.”

“Locke, you know that I’m the last person to start judging you.” Brianna’s brushing eased Locke. “You and I have been through everything together, and I have no interest in leaving you now. I’m here with you every step of the way.” 

The producer smiled softly. He truly believed that he didn’t deserve someone like her. Brianna was one of a kind, and in truth, Locke felt slightly disappointed in himself for having never taken the leap with her. But he was happy right now, both in his romantic relationship with Kai’Sa and his deep friendship with Brianna. “Thank you. It’s appreciated.”

“It better be. I’ve been through a lot of shit with you. Most people wouldn’t have stuck around as long as I have.”

“I know. And I really do appreciate it.”

Brianna smiled and stopped brushing his hair. “Alright. Let’s get out there. I want to see this movie.”

**/;/**

Locke and Ahri sat opposite each in the dim lights of the studio, their opened laptops casting white light onto their faces. Crumpled up, empty chip bags, finished Pepero boxes, and water bottles littered the brown coffee table between them. 

Both of them had been working on Ahri’s solo song for nearly two weeks now, but somehow, they still hadn’t managed to record anything. Yet the time still felt somewhat productive. They weren’t working on Ahri’s song for the entire time, of course, they’d often get sidetracked talking about… whatever they wanted to talk about that day. Instead of focusing solely on work, the two took the time to become even better friends, to understand more about one another so that they might be better able to express their creativity freely.

However, they still got quite a bit of work done on the track. Together, they’d managed to write lyrics with substance, meaning, and purpose despite not having Akali there to help. Locke also helped Ahri decide on the tone of the song, she gave him descriptors and he played chords based on the words, after some trial and error, they wrote out the chord progression. From there, they moved to what instruments Ahri wanted in the song.

“I just want it to be simple,” Ahri explained, her blonde hair up in a ponytail and an unclicked black pen tucked behind her ear. “Maybe piano?”

Locke chuckled. “The piano isn’t a simple instrument,” Locke corrected. “We can play it simply though.”

“Fair.”

“Just piano?”

Ahri nodded. “It wouldn’t sound honest to the song if we had anything else.”

“Not even percussion?” Locke asked hesitantly.

“Not even percussion.” Ahri confirmed. 

Locke wasn’t going to protest. He simply enjoyed recording and mixing percussion instruments. Ahri had decided to write the song in her native language, Korean, over English or any other language. She’d spend so long writing the lyrics, and Locke could tell. Since they began to work on the track, Ahri had already written some of the words, but each day,the lyrics had changed vastly until only recently.

“Have you ever been in love, Ahri?” Locke asked randomly as he and Ahri ate some food that Kai’Sa brought down for them.

Ahri stopped chewing and sat completely still. Then she shook her head. “No. But I was very close.”

“Close?” Locke definitely knew what that was like.

The pop star nodded.

“Is it alright if I ask who?”

Ahri giggled and covered her mouth. “You’re so nosey today. But it was a DJ.”

“Sona?”

Ahri looked impressed. “How’d you know?”

“She’s the only DJ that I know other than Yasuo,” explained Locke. “And I figured that she was into women.” Locke leaned back in his chair. “What went wrong?”

“Nothing went wrong per se,” Ahri said, her eyes becoming glassy. “Things just didn’t really work out. But she and I are still on good terms.”

“Do you regret what happened?”

Ahri shook her head. “I don’t. My experience with her made me a better person.”

“Would you ever get back with her?”

Ahri smiled sadly. “Maybe? Maybe not. I don’t really know.” Then, her eyes lit up with inspiration. “I got it.”

“Wait, what?”

“The song! I know what to write about!” She set her bowl down on the table and dragged her laptop into her lap. “Sorry! I just—”

Locke waved her off, her excitement clearly rubbing off on him. “Don’t mind me. Go write!”

**/;/**

“Ready?” Locke asked Ahri who was seated in the live room, headphones wrapped around her ears and a mic positioned in front of her.

She gave him a thumbs up and a grin. Locke pressed the record button, and leaned back in his chair as the melancholy piano notes echoed through the speakers. Ahri began to sing, timidly, as though she were afraid of what the receiver of the song might think of her words. As the song progressed, confidence built in Ahri’s voice. 

The song that Ahri wrote was a piano ballad for a lost love, and it was the singer that would wait until their lover returned to them. It was laden with vulnerability and purpose, something that Ahri’s previous solo tracks lacked.

The track eventually finished, and Locke allowed Ahri to let her first live performance of the song to sink in. “Are you okay to continue?” Locke asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, I’m good, “Ahri said into the microphone.

“Great.” Locke began to give her the issues with the initial recording. Despite how good her recording was as a performance, there were a few moments where Ahri would miss the note she was trying to sing, or where her dynamics were slightly off, or where the voice itself was just too weak due to her emotional attachment to the lyrics. All of the problems were to be expected and could easily be fixed by Locke’s mixing, but he wanted the track to be as pure as possible, with him doing as little as editing as possible.

“As consistent as ever, I see,” Ahri commented as he pointed out the flaws in her singing. Fortunately for Ahri, she didn’t have to spend that long in the studio due to Locke’s efficiency. Normally she would spend more than five hours in the live room, fixing the mistakes in her previous recordings in order to ensure that the track sounded perfect. But Locke made it incredibly easy to see where her errors were and how to fix them. As it turns out, being trained in classical music made that very easy.

Locke paused the recording. “Ahri, can you actually sing it with your throat instead of your head?”

“Uh,” Ahri stuttered. She tested it, and the note itself came out slightly flat. The singer frowned. “Can… can you play the note for me?”

Locke played the note, and even sung it himself for her.

Ahri found the pitch and sung it through her throat. “Okay, got it. We’re good.”

“I meant the whole section, not just the note.”

“Oh.”

Locke chuckled. “I can walk you through it, if you want.”

“No, I got it. I just needed help with the one note,” Ahri explained. She adjusted her headphones and gave him a thumbs-up. “I’m ready to go.”

“Great.” Locke pressed the record button over the section that needed to be reworked. As Ahri sang, Locke sighed in contentment. It was always impressive to hear her sing. While Evelynn’s voice was dark, sultry, and breathy, Ahri’s was smooth, sweet, and soft. Both were a pleasure to listen to, and both vocalists were skilled in their own right. But listening to Ahri sing in a manner similar to Evelynn proved to be more than interesting; she retained her smooth vocals but added a layer of depth to it that allowed her to convey even more emotion.

Once Ahri finished the section, Locke paused the recording, thoroughly impressed with how quickly she took his advice and applied it to her singing. “Alright, I think that you’re good for now.”

“Really?”

“Yup!” Locke motioned for her to come into the control room.

Ahri wrapped her headphones around the microphone in front of her, and walked out of the live room. “Don’t make me sound terrible, alright?”

“It’d be hard to do that, considering I won’t be doing much editing of your voice.”

Ahri flushed. “Seriously?”

“I don’t really like editing people’s voices that much, I’ve realized,” Locke said. “Which is why I kept you in the recording studio for so long.”

“It wasn’t that long,” Ahri said. “I’m used to being stuck in there for longer.”

“Why?”

“My old producers didn’t really know how to explain it on my end. They could give advice, but nothing like the instruction that you gave.”

“I just told you where to place your voice.”

“Like I said, you gave me more instruction than they did.”

Locke frowned. “Who are these people?”

“Overseas producers,” explained Ahri. “I don’t really remember their names. Why?”

“Sounds like  _ cheap _ overseas producers.”

“Most likely,” Ahri said.

“Unfortunate,” Locke said as he turned back to the monitor. 

“Thank you, Locke,” Ahri murmured. She grinned. “This was really fun.”

“We’ve gotten a whole lot done, and I can do the rest from here.”

The pop star frowned. “I want to help. In any way that I can.”

Locke’s phone buzzed. It was a text from Kai’Sa.

_ Locke, it’s almost midnight. Take a break. I miss you. _

“Kai’Sa?” Ahri asked.

Locke nodded. “She wants us to take a break for the night.”

“Oh,” Ahri said, realizing how late it was. “Tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

Ahri nodded.

“Good job today, Ahri.”

“You too, Locke.”

**/;/**

Locke plodded up the stairs and into his and Kai’Sa’s room. The blankets were drawn over the bed, and he could see the vague outline of Kai’Sa’s sleeping form. Adorably enough, it seemed that whenever he wasn’t sleeping with her, she slept with a night light. Locke had been sleeping in their bed, but they haven’t been sleeping at the same time since he usually stayed up rather late with Ahri, working on her solo track.

The producer’s thoughts wandered back to the studio. As he opened the door to the bathroom and flicked the lights on, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to adjust to the sudden brightness. After spending so much time on the track, it was really all he could think of. He worried over what to do next, what instruments he could add or remove, whether or not the time spent on a single track would be efficient or even fit in the given time frame, considering they were going to release the album next fall. Locke knew that these were ultimately useless things to waste his time thinking about, seeing as the answers would come naturally and K/DA hadn’t even told the public than an album was in the works, so there was no public pressure to release it. Nevertheless, he still worried. As was human nature.

In an attempt to distract himself, he glanced up at the mirror. His midnight hair was growing rather long now, over the last few days, he’d kept it in a tight and short ponytail. He reached out to the mirror and poked at the reflection of his hetero chromatic eyes; one was a pool of gold, and the other was silver.

He’d always found them strange, and it was hard to escape how instantly recognizable they were. However, most people thought they were just brown eyes until they stared at him closely. Hilariously, none of K/DA seemed at all perturbed by the strangeness of his eye color. Maybe because Kai’Sa, Ahri, and Evelynn all had strange eye colors.

Locke changed out of his clothes and into a set of pajamas. After quickly brushing his teeth and flossing, he turned the bathroom light off and shut the door with a nearly silent click.

The dancer’s head popped out from beneath the covers. “Locke?” she called out hesitantly.

“I’m here,” Locke informed as he settled beneath the blanket and wrapped his arms around Kai’Sa.

She immediately eased into him. “You know, I’ve really missed you.”

Locke scooched a little higher up on the bed. He ran a hand through Kai’Sa’s soft hair. “You’ve seen me every day.”

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss you. You’ve spent more time with Ahri than me.”

Locke couldn’t see her face, but he could tell by her voice that she was pouting. “Fair. But you’re always free to come into the studio, it’s not like what she and I are doing is private to you, or anyone in K/DA for that matter.”

“That’s fair.” Kai’Sa laid still for a few moments. “How is it coming along?”

“Good,” Locke said quickly. “But I’d rather not talk about the song. It’s all I’ve been able to think of lately.”

“Maybe I can take your mind off of it?” Kai’Sa offered. She gently ground her butt against him.

Locke chuckled. “Not tonight. I’m tired.”

“Oh. Okay.” She maneuvered herself out of his arms and away from him.

“Kai’Sa—”

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“Kai’Sa…”

The dancer suddenly flipped over to face him. He couldn’t see her face or her eyes, but he knew that she was staring right into his own eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

There was no response.

“Kai’Sa,” Locke began.

“Can I be honest?” she interjected.

“Please.”

“I feel like I’m not that important to you. Especially with how focused you are on the album, the songs, making sure that everything sounds perfect.” Locke opened his mouth to speak but Kai’Sa continued. “And this isn’t me being ungrateful for you, for what you’ve done for us. That’s something I’ll be eternally grateful for, but this relationship you and I have doesn’t really feel like a relationship. It feels like we’re just friends with—”

“Benefits,” Locke finished for her. “I know.”

“You know?”

Locke flipped over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. “You wouldn’t be the first girl to tell me something like that.”

“Do you have often have problems like this in your love life?”

Locke shrugged. “I guess I do.”

“Seems like a personal problem.”

Locke let out a single laugh. “I told you so. I told you that you would get sick of me, that you would get tired of me, that you would eventually how shitty of a person I am.”

“Locke—”

“Kai’Sa. I’m not someone who deserves affection, not because I’m malicious or evil or anything like that; but, I don’t deserve affection or love because I’ve never given it.” Locke smiled sadly, his gaze still up at the ceiling. “It’s a shame it only lasted a few weeks.”

“I haven’t broken up with you.”

Even though it went unsaid, Locke could hear the “ _ yet _ ” that was at the edge of her tongue. It shattered him. But, he played it off with another laugh. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Locke…”

“Don’t worry about me, Kai’Sa. I’m strong.”

“Until the mask breaks,” she said suddenly, throwing Locke off-guard. He hadn’t expected such forwardness from her, even with how direct she’d been so far.

“I suppose so,” Locke said, meeting her blunt words with his own brutal honesty. “It hasn’t so far. I don’t see why it would now.”

Kai’Sa scoffed. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

“That you were.”

“I thought you were different.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Yet here you are, Locke, not even capable of seeing your own mistakes.”

“I warned you,” Locke said curtly. “And you chose not to listen. I already told you that I had a lot of baggage, that there were so many things wrong with me that it took Brianna years to adjust.”

“Is she not dating you for that reason?”

“Something like that.” 

Kai’Sa growled, clearly frustrated. “Why?”

“Because I can’t love anyone!” Locke shouted. “Because ever since I lost my entire fucking family, my heart’s been broken, ruined! I can’t do it! I can’t bring myself to get attached to more than one person!”

Kai’Sa flinched. “Then the person you’re attached to is…?”

Locke took in a deep breath. “Brianna. She’s been with me through hell and back. And you… you’re—”

“Just someone to pass the time?”

Locke shook his head fervently. “A friend. You’re a really good friend, Kai’Sa. But I can’t love you. I can’t bring myself to do it.”

“I… see.”

The producer sat up. “I’m going to sleep in my own room tonight.” He threw the sheets off of him and walked to the door, wrapped his hand around the handle. “Goodnight, Kai’Sa.” Without another word, he opened the door and shut it behind him. His legs gave out beneath him and he collapsed onto the floor. His heart pumped rapidly, and tears threatened to fall.

He steeled himself.  _ Don’t cry _ .  _ Crying makes you weak _ . The words of his father and mother echoed in his ears. He had to be strong. If not for himself, then for them. The tears vanished, and strength returned to his legs. Locke stood up. His gaze flickered between the door to his bedroom and the stairs that lead downwards. 

He chose the latter. If love wasn’t going to be his savior, then prayed that music would save him instead.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neglected updating this story on AO3. Not only that, but I haven't written any newer chapters for it in awhile.
> 
> I'm getting back into writing it, and have finished Chapters 9, 10, and 11. Those will be rolled out over the course of the month.

**Disclaimer: I own none of the famous and recognizable content mentioned below. This includes, and is not limited to, Disney (and all of its property), Lucasfilm, and Riot Games.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Enjoy.**

About two days had passed since his argument with Kai’Sa, and the two hadn't spoken a word to each other. Normally, Locke would have handled it like an adult. He would have approached her, told her that it would be best to simply put everything in the past, to break up, and to try being friends again. But that didn’t sit right with him. It felt… wrong. Not because he couldn’t admit to his mistakes, but because he was afraid that the other girls would find out and murder him in his sleep.

It hurt him in ways that he couldn’t describe whenever he caught Kai’Sa stealing glances at him whenever she thought he wouldn’t notice, or when their gazes met when they accidentally met in the kitchen for a late-night snack. 

And eventually, Brianna called it to everyone’s attention. During dinner, the blonde set down her chopsticks and faced the producer. “Locke, what did you do?”

“What?”

“You and Kai’Sa. You guys aren’t sleeping in the same room anymore, you don’t talk to each other, you don’t look at each other. It’s like you two aren’t even acknowledging the other’s existence.”

“I—”

“We—”

Locke and Kai’Sa looked at each other. He motioned for her to speak, and at the same time, her hand waved for him to go ahead.

“It’s—”

“He’s—”

Kai’Sa glared at him. She cleared her throat. “It’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t have to be,” Locke interjected.

The dancer rolled her eyes. “You are the one who is making it complicated.”

“I only explained to you the reasons why. It’s not my fault that you can’t get over it.”  _ Or me _ . Locke left that bit unsaid.

“I can get over it. In fact, I’ve already gotten over it. I just want you to acknowledge your mistakes.”

“What mistakes? Was it a mistake to focus on the album that’s going to be released in a year?  _ Your  _ album?”

“No, but would it really be so hard to split your attention between me and the album?”

“Spoken like a needy child.”

“Excuse me?”

Ahri slammed her fist onto the table, chasing Locke’s biting response down his throat. He coughed. “What happened?”

“Kai’Sa and I had a disagreement. She was distressed that I was focusing most of my attention on the album and your solo track. And I told her that it was how things were going to be if the album would be completed in time.”

“You never said that.”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” Locke shot back. “It doesn’t matter. Anyways, I also told her as a warning for our relationship, that dating me wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do.”

“Why?” Evelynn suddenly asked, entering the conversation.

“It’s—”

“It has to do with his family,” Brianna explained. She glanced at Locke, her eyes asking him if it was okay to continue. Locke nodded. “After losing his family, Locke really,  _ really _ struggles to make connections with people.”

“He made friends with us fairly easily,” Akali offered.

“Romantic connections specifically.”

“Why? He wasn’t like that with his family, was he?”

Brianna shook her head. “More so the emotional aspects of being in love.”

“Yeah, clearly,” Kai’Sa commented.

“Stop giving him shit, Kai’Sa,” Brianna interjected, jumping to the defense of her friend.

“How about you hold him accountable?” Kai’Sa countered. “Considering he’s in love with you.”

“He’s not—”

“Shut up, Kai’Sa!”

Brianna stared at Locke, her mouth agape. “Key…”

Locke sighed. “I’m not in love with you in the way that I want to start a relationship with you. I just care deeply for you and would sacrifice a lot to make sure that you were okay.”

“And you can’t feel that way about me?” Kai’Sa asked. Her purple eyes alight with an indescribable mix of anguish and disappointment. “About any of us?” she waved her hand to the rest of K/DA.

“I—” Locke looked at the other girls. Ahri had her hands on her lap, her eyes didn’t move to meet his. Evelynn stared him dead in the face, a single brow raised and her arms crossed under her chest. Akali… Akali had a hand over her mouth, and Locke could see that she was on the verge of tears. Locke froze. “I’m sorry.” His chair screeched as he pushed away from the table and stood up. He needed to get out of here. He needed to—

Kai’Sa grabbed his hand. “Locke. Don’t walk out on me— us.”

“I just need a few hours.” Locke forced his hand free of Kai’Sa grip. He couldn’t bear to look at any of their faces. He grabbed a coat from his room and slipped on a pair of shoes. It was winter in South Korea, so it was bound to be freezing cold. Locke opened the door and a blast of chilly air rushed through him. He violently shivered, but pressed onward, shutting the door behind him.

As the guard at the front gate casually saluted him, Locke took one more glance at the extravagant K/DA house. He sighed.

**/;/**

As the music in the club pulsed in his ears, Locke casually sipped his cocktail. Normally, he wasn’t one to go into a club, but needed a distraction. Preferably a sexy one.

Locke set down his glass and called the bartender for another glass. A woman saddled up into the seat next to him. Her fiery red hair fell down her shoulders, and a silky dress draped down her curvaceous body like wine. The only imperfection on her otherwise flawless face was a scar that dragged long and harsh over her left eye.

“What’s a guy like you doing out here all alone?” she asked, her voice as smooth and attractive as he expected.

Locke caught the glass that the bartender slid over to him. He sipped it. “Trying to forget.”

“Won’t be able to forget if you’re drinking like that.” The woman moved closer to him and intertwined their arms. “Listen, I’m honestly just looking for a good fucking tonight. Can you deliver?”

“How offensive,” Locke said with a grin. He downed the rest of his drink. “ Don’t see why not…”

“Katarina. You can just call me Kat, though.”

Locke draped his hand over Katarina’s shoulders and grinned. “So, where are we going?”

“Hotel. My husband’s being a dick.”

Locke glanced at her finger for a ring.

“Fiance,” she corrected. “I’m sick of him.”

“Already?”

The woman gave him a deadly glare. “You ask too many questions. Let’s just get out of here.”

**/;/**

Katarina shoved Locke onto the bed, her green eyes alight with unbridled passion and lust. She grinned wildly. Her hands worked quickly to untie the back of her dress, a moment later, the fabric fell forward.to reveal a pair of pale breasts, the pink nipples clearly hard from want and sexual frustration. She cupped her breasts in her hands and jiggled them with a smile. “Enjoying the show?” She asked, her gaze fixed upon the obvious tent visible in Locke’s pants.

Locke growled and sat up. He grabbed the rest of Katarina’s dress and tore it clean off of her. He caught a glimpse of the pink lips of her soaking wet and shaved vagina. “Someone’s needy.” His lips attached themselves to Katarina’s neck.

“Too soft,” she said. “Bite me.”

“Kinky bitch.” He bit down on her neck, and the woman let out a moan.

Katarina ground her hips against Locke’s still growing length. She grinned. “God, how big are you?”

“Big enough.” Locke flipped her over so Katarina was laying on her back. He removed his pants and threw his shirt off. 

Katarina stared at the impressive length of his cock. She looked up at him with a grin. “Hurry up and fuck me.”

Locke’s mind momentarily replaced Katarina with an image of Kai’Sa lying beneath him, her clothing removed and her purple eyes also looking up at him. He shook his head and the image disappeared. It made him angry. Locke reached behind Katarina and grabbed her red hair. As he thrust his entire length into her, he pulled her hair, causing Katarina to groan and grab the sheets beneath her. 

As Locke furiously fucked the redhead, he could only think of the purplette lead dancer of K/DA. His thoughts wandered, and he was dragged away from the present. He didn’t stop his thrusts, his grabbing, and his hair-pulling, but he thought nothing of it. To him, it was merely another moment to sink into physical pleasure, to forget what had happened three days prior. He needed some sort of release, some way to relieve the stress. But he knew what he was doing would do nothing to help; it was merely a chance to momentarily ignore the pain in his heart.

“Fuck!” Katarina cried, her back arching violently and her hands tightened around the sheets. Her legs wrapped themselves behind Locke. “Don’t you dare pull out. I want you inside of me.”

Locke flinched, his thrusting suddenly stopped. “Not happening.”

Katarina groaned. She attempted to fuck herself against his cock. “I’m on the pill. You don’t have to worry about me getting pregnant.”

Locke smirked. He resumed his thrusting, and instantly felt Katarina tighten around him.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Katarina moaned loudly. “I’m gonna come.”

“Inside?” Locke asked.

“Please— Oh god! Please right fucking there.”

Locke and Katarina convulsed at the same time, and Locke released his load inside of Katarina, filling her to the brim. She sighed, her face the picture of relief and contentment.

“I’m impressed,” she commented tiredly. “Round two?”

Locke grinned.“Why not?”

**/;/**

He didn’t come home that night. Or the next night. Locke didn’t return to the K/DA house for three days. While the rest of the girls were beginning to worry about his whereabouts, Brianna knew where he was, what he was doing. She’d called him the morning after he left, knowing full well what he’d done the night before. He was currently staying at a hotel with some girl named Katarina, likely having sex with her every night and every morning.

“Kai’Sa is going to find out,” Brianna murmured into her phone as quietly as she could. Locke had called her during dinner, and Brianna needed to make an excuse to remove herself from the table. “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to explain it to her. To everyone.”

“What, that I had sex with someone else when we were never officially together?”

“You never officially broke up with her.”

“That’s—”

“True,” Brianna finished. She sighed. “Hurry on back. You have a song to finish.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

“Good, because neither has Ahri.” Brianna glanced around, making sure that no one was around. “She said that she’s been calling you non-stop.”

“I blocked her number.”

“Locke—”

“I needed a break, alright?” Locke sighed. “I’ll be there in thirty.”

Brianna heard a voice call for him in the background.

“An hour and thirty.”

“Key—”

The call suddenly ended, and Brianna was left in the dark. As she walked back into the dining room, the girls were all looking at her. Kai’Sa in particular was glaring daggers at her.

“Where is he?” She asked.

“You won’t like it,” Brianna said, easing into her chair. Suddenly the delicious looking food before her didn’t look as appetizing as it did when she first saw it.

“Brianna,” warned the dancer.

“He’s at a hotel. Sleeping with somebody.”

Kai’Sa slammed her fist onto the table. “Fuck!” Her exclamation echoed throughout the house. “What the fuck is wrong with him?!” She shot out of her seat and harshly scratched her head. “I seriously don’t know what goes on in his head! How does he just bounce between girls like it’s nothing, like it means nothing to him or me.”

Evelynn spoke up. “I was once like that.”

Kai’Sa gave Evelynn a withering glare.

“Hear me out, Bokkie,” Evelynn said. “I’m trying to give you an answer to your question.”

After some time, she waved for her to continue.

“I’ve lost a lot in my life, and so has Locke; which is sort of what drew me to him in the first place.” Evelynn smiled momentarily, before she continued. “But that’s besides the point. After what happened to me, it was difficult to form any sort of attachment with anyone. Not even strictly romantic relationships, but even friendships.” She looked at Ahri. “After meeting Ahri, she never once stopped bothering me. She texted me every day, she called me as often as she could. It got to the point where I was beginning to get sick of it, but I eventually realized that I needed to her to text me, that I needed her to call me. And when she didn’t, I missed her. She was someone who never left my side. No matter how many times I wanted to push her away, to get rid of her, she stuck around.”

Ahri nodded. “She’s right. Evelynn was really miserable without me.”

“Excuse me,” Evelynn said. “I was fine. And you really  _ were _ annoying.”

Ahri slapped the diva, but both friends laughed it off easily.

Kai’Sa frowned. “He told me the same thing.”

“And Brianna told everyone else,” Akali said. Her hands sat in her lap. “Can I be honest?”

“Always,” Ahri said.

“Kai’Sa, I think you and Locke are both in the wrong here. Neither of you seem to understand the other’s perspective. It might do the both of you some good to sit and talk to each other.”

“We have talked—”

“And I don’t mean yell over each other. Sit down and listen to each other, talk to each other.” Akali gave Kai’Sa a soft smile. “I just want to see you two happy again. So can you try? If not for yourself, then for me?”

Kai’Sa stared long and hard at Akali. And then she collapsed to the floor, her voice crying out in anguish. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she huddled herself into a ball. The girls immediately jumped to comfort her, massaging her shoulders, running a hand through her hair, caressing her cheek, anything to calm down the crying woman. Eventually, the tears subsided. “I’ll try,” she managed between sniffles and choked sobs.

The door to the house opened. 

Brianna offered everyone a weak shrug. “He didn’t text me that he was here either.”

Kai’Sa pouted. “God damnit.”

**/;/**

Locke glanced at Kai’Sa as the two of them sat underneath the tree in the garden. It was a cold night, but it was the only place where they had some real privacy, especially considering the fact that it was more than likely that everyone in the house was trying to listen in on their conversation. A cold breeze blew through the both of them, causing them to shiver.

“I’m gonna get a heater,” Locke said, standing up. “Are you gonna be fine out here for a bit?”

Kai’Sa nodded. “Just be quick.”

Within five minutes, Locke went into the house, found a portable heater, returned to their location beneath the tree, found a usable outlet, and turned the heater on. 

They sat in complete silence. Until Locke broke it.

“How have you been?” he asked, his voice laden with concern.

“Terrible.”

“I see.”

“You?”

“Not much better.”

Kai’Sa shot him a glare. “Cheating on me didn’t do anything to help?”

Locke opened his mouth to protest and then closed it. “Yeah. It didn’t.”

“If you wanted to sleep with someone else, you should’ve just broken up with me.”

“I thought that’s what I did when I walked away.”

“It isn’t,” Kai’Sa said.

“Then I’m sorry.”

“Your apology is accepted.”

Locke coughed into his hand. “What now?”

“We have an album to write.”

“I meant between us.”

“I’m not sure.” Kai’Sa looked at him. “Is there even an ‘us’ anymore?”

“That’s your decision to make,” Locke said. “If you want to continue this relationship with someone like me…”

Kai’Sa scoffed. “I don’t.”

Her response sent a dagger through his heart, and the magnitude of the pain was entirely unexpected. He fought back a biting reply. What she said was entirely fair, and if Locke were in her position, the last thing he would want is to continue a relationship with a cheater. “Then we can officially end it here. And hopefully we can stay friends.”

Kai’Sa nodded. “Agreed.” 

Locke stared out at the view of Seoul, the city still bustling and teeming with life and energy. “If it means anything, I’m sorry.”

“You already apologized. Don’t do it again.”

“Right.” The producer glanced between the skyline and Kai’Sa. “I feel like there’s more to talk about.”

“There’s a lot to talk about.”

“I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“I know,” Kai’Sa said. She turned her body towards him and rested her feet on the bench that they shared. “It’s going to take awhile for me to forgive you, you know.”

“I know.”

“And you didn’t hurt just me,” she said. “You hurt the other girls too.”

“I know,” Locke repeated.

“Do you really?”

“I do,” he confirmed. He sighed. “Maybe I should’ve just gone back to the States, would’ve saved all of you this trouble.”

“Don’t devalue yourself or the work that went into making sure you stayed with us. I might  _ really _ hate you right now, but you’re still someone significant in my life. And even if I didn’t want you in my life anymore, it’d be hard to ignore you, considering you live with us and you’re going to be producing K//DA’s album. So it’s just better for us to get over this incident and move on.”

Locke nodded. He tilted his head towards the house. “How did the others take the news?”

“Not well,” she said. “To be honest, the only reason I’m even talking to you right now is because of Akali.”

“Akali?”

“Our maknae wants to see the two of us ‘happy’ again,” Kai’Sa explained.

“Did you assume she meant happy together?”

Kai’Sa nodded. “Like that’s going to happen any time soon.”

“It could happen in the future?”

Kai’Sa shrugged. “Who knows. All I know is that I really,  _ really _ dislike you right now.”

“You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

“And I could care less what you have to tell me.” Kai’Sa stood up. “I’ll head inside first.”

“Kai’Sa, it isn’t just me that’s in the wrong here.”

The dancer spun around in an instant, her eyes ablaze with an anger that Locke didn’t know she had or could even express. “You are lucky that I even agreed to talk to you, and that everyone still likes you, or else I would’ve had you removed from the house and the project entirely.”

Locke couldn’t help himself and retorted, his voice brimming with fury. “I know! You don’t think I  _ know  _ that I fucked up?! I’m not an idiot, and it offends me to think that you would assume that I’m too stupid to understand that.”

“I never said you were stupid.”

Locke broke. “That’s besides the  _ fucking  _ point! I was just making it clear that you made mistakes on your end too.”

She crossed her arms. “Like what?” she challenged.

“When you completely dismissed my warning about entering a relationship with me,” Locke began. “When you didn’t see it from my perspective. I told you everything you needed to know to not commit yourself to a relationship with me, but you still did.”

“Because I thought I could change you. Because I thought that what we had was something special.” Kai’Sa’s arms closed around her body even tighter. “I guess I was wrong.”

“And how is that my fault?”

“Because…” she trailed off into silence. Her gaze drifted from Locke to the Seoul skyline, the quiet drone of traffic and cars speeding along highways of asphalt echoed in her mind. Eventually, she sat down beside Locke, hugging her knees to her chest.

Locke too stared out at Seoul, not so much to admire its beauty, but to force himself to not look at Kai’Sa. “I never wanted to hurt you. And I’m sorry that I ran away, and I’m even more sorry that I slept with someone despite your understanding that we were still together; I didn’t see it like that, and I’m sorry about that.”

“I forgive you,” she murmured softly. “And I’m sorry that I was so rude to you, and that I hurt you too.”

Locke smiled and glanced down at his hands. The numerous callouses that marred his hands from years upon years of practice were still there. All of a sudden, Kai’Sa’s hand rested on top of his. His gaze flicked to her, surprise evident on his face.

“I don’t want to let this go,” Kai’Sa pleaded. Her purple eyes carried more emotion than her voice. He could see the worry, fear, and anxiety written plainly in her gaze. “I’m scared. I’m really, really scared to let you go.”

“Kai’Sa…”

Her grip tightened. “I know. I know it’s stupid of me to want this still, even after what we did to each other. But I want to try again.”

The producer shook his head, prying Kai’Sa’s hand from his. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“You won’t!” Kai’Sa urged. “I know what I did wrong. I understand you better now. You won’t hurt me again.”

“Don’t lie to yourself.”

“I’m not lying to myself!” Kai’Sa continued. Angry tears built up in her eyes. “How do you even know what I’m thinking? Can you read my mind?”

“No,” Locke said. “But I know you well enough to say that this isn’t something you should do again.”

Kai’Sa shook her head. “I want this. I want  _ you _ .”

“Kai’Sa.” Locke stared her dead in the eyes. “Please. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I don’t want to hurt you. Again.”

“This is some ‘it’s not me, it’s you’ bullshit, isn’t it?”

“In this case, it’s true.”

_ Crack! _ Kai’Sa’s hand slapped Locke clean across the cheeks. The tears that were building in her eyes broke free and fell down her cheeks in waves. “Why? Why can’t you see that I want to help you? That I want to care for you? That I want to make you happy?”

Locke, even through the painful stinging in his cheek, never let his gaze waver. “You can’t help me,” he said flatly.  _ No one can. _ He stood up and brushed some invisible dust off of his pants. “ _ I’ll _ head in first. Have a good night.”

As he walked away from the sobbing woman, Locke’s heart froze over. He steeled himself.  _ Crying is for the weak. Crying is for the weak _ . The words echoed in his head steadily, as if it were the only thing he could think of.

**/;/**

Brianna spoke as she typed up an email on her laptop. “He hasn’t stepped out of his room in days.”

“Is he eating?” Ahri asked, her golden eyes looking her the screen of her own laptop.

Brianna nodded. “He takes food from the stuff we leave at his door.”

“That’s good, at least.”

The environment at the K/DA house since Locke returned had dwindled to fit the weather: cold, foreign, and, at its worst, uncomfortable. Kai’Sa clearly didn’t take the exchange well. She only stepped out of her room to prepare food for the other girls and Locke, and she hadn’t danced since the day that Locke came back. Akali was cooped up in her room. Brianna only ever saw her at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but otherwise, the young rapper was never seen or heard from. 

Evelynn and Ahri were the only ones who seemed to have any semblance of motivation to continue working on the album. Evelynn practiced her guitar playing, and Ahri had been continuously playing the piano whenever she wasn’t planning the album promotional schedule with Brianna.

Evelynn stepped into the living room, the frown she’d been wearing for the last few days still on her face. “I’m getting sick of it.”

“I think everyone is, Eve,” Ahri commented. “I’m not sure what we can do.”

“Brianna? How do we cheer up our resident producer?”

Brianna sighed. “Sex?” she offered, half-jokingly.

“Haha—” Evelynn stopped. “You’re serious?”

She shrugged. “Partially, but it’s not going to solve things forever.”

Ahri closed her laptop and crossed her legs. “Kai’Sa still hasn’t told us what they talked about.”

“And I doubt she’ll give us his side of the story, even  _ if _ we get her to talk.” Evelynn tsked. “How frustrating.”

“So, who do we talk to first?” Ahri asked.

“Kai’Sa,” Brianna said. “When Locke gets like this, he tends to just need some time to himself to get back to normal. Whatever classifies as normal for him, anyway.” 

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I just need you two to convince her to talk to me.”

“I’m already here,” Kai’Sa called from her position by the entrance into the living room. “I’ll just join in the conversation.”

“How have you dealt with it for so long?” Ahri asked, obviously impressed with Brianna. “Him breaking people’s hearts left and right, I mean.”

Brianna shook her head. “It’s never his fault.”

Kai’Sa scoffed. “How is not his fault? He  _ cheated  _ on me.”

“He also told me that you two never officially got together.”

“We were sleeping in the same room!”

“Locke and I did that for two years. It was when he just started as a producer and couldn’t afford a bigger space.” Brianna sighed. “What I’m trying to get at here is that what other people consider behavior befitting that of a couple, like sleeping together, being physically affectionate with one another, Locke doesn’t see it like that. He thinks that sort of behavior is normal between friends, especially between friends that sleep with him on the first night.”

“Which is exactly that Kai’Sa did,” Evelynn surmised.

Brianna nodded. “It’s messed up, I know, but it’s how he works. And he definitely can’t be faulted for why his mind works like that.”

“He said it has to do with his family. Something about never being able to form a connection with more than one person?”

“Yeah.” Brianna thought back to when she first admitted her feelings for Locke. She cringed. It wasn’t a good memory. Not because he rejected her, but because of how stupid she was for thinking that dating someone like him would’ve turned out well. “I always tell him that whenever someone wants to date him, he has to tell them three things: one, that he’ll be a terrible partner; two, that he has a lot of baggage; and three, that he’ll eventually hurt them.”

Ahri frowned. “Why?”

“Because it’s what he would want.” She smiled sadly. “The last thing he would want is to hurt anyone. He’s soft like that. But with how his head works… it’s hard to avoid that result. And by telling people those three things, it usually works to turn them away from starting a relationship with him.”

“But I was the exception,” Kai’Sa said.

“Yes. You were.”

The dancer looked at Brianna. “And you?”

Brianna chuckled. “I, too, was once infatuated with Locke Willow. But after he rejected me, I became his friend instead of someone to fuck. It turned out a lot better for the both of us.”

“I guess I dodged a bullet, then,” Evelynn said.

“I wouldn’t say that, Evelynn,” Brianna said with a grin. “You missed a good fuck.”

Evelynn rolled her eyes. “I’m past that now. But thank you for the information.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Ahri said, her face turning red. “Let’s not get distracted here. We still have to find a way to get Locke back on track.”

“I can talk to him,” Kai’Sa said.

Brianna shook her head. “No. Locke will come out on his own.”

“Seriously? How can you say that?”

“I know him better than anyone else in this house,” Brianna said. “He’s a lot stronger than people give him credit for.” 

Brianna didn’t know how wrong she was.


	9. Chapter Nine

Beneath the dim yellow light of the bathroom, Locke stared at his reflection. He was a mess. His black hair was unruly, and his silver-gold eyes looked back at him blankly. He hadn’t been taking care of his skin, so there were a few bright red pimples on his cheeks and his forehead, and he could tell that his breath smelled just from the inside of his own mouth.

He had half the heart to not fix it, and to just crawl back into bed and melt into the warm sheets. But he knew he couldn’t do that. Not while he had people depending on him. He lifted his hand to start the water, but he suddenly stopped. A voice creeped into his mind.

_You’re nothing. You may think these people depend on you, but they can easily replace you._

Locke shook his head, however, the voice continued with its droning.

_They’ve already threatened to do it before. What’s stopping them from doing it again? You might as well give up and move on now._

Slowly but surely, Locke succumbed to the words. He saw the reason in them. He was expendable; a commodity that can be easily replaced with something better, something newer, and something that worked properly. Instead of fixing his appearance, Locke returned to the room and began to pack.

He’d been staying in Korea for a few months now, and he was getting rather homesick. Maybe it was time to go back to the United States. Lay low, take some time to rest, and then make music again when he was ready. He was successful enough that he could afford a vacation.

Locke smiled to himself. Yes, that was the plan now. Tell K/DA that he can’t make the album, return to the U.S., and take some well-deserved time off. 

There was a knock on his door. “Locke?” Ahri asked, hesitantly. “Can I come in?”

Locke ceased his packing. His gaze flickered between the door and the open luggage bag. “One second.” Like a child hiding the evidence that they didn’t clean their room, Locke closed the bag and shoved it beneath his bed. Unbeknownst to him, the handle of the bag peeked out from underneath the bed. He eased into his bed and pulled the sheets over himself. “Okay, come in.”

A pristine and beautiful Ahri stepped into his room, her blonde hair immaculate and her pale skin flawless. Her golden eyes scanned the room and met Locke’s gaze. She kneeled beside his bed, facing him. Her gaze was riddled with worry, caution, and sadness. “How are you?”

“I’m alright.”

“Do you need anything?”

Locke shook his head. “No, I’m good.”

“Okay.” Ahri rested her head against the bed. “Do you want to talk?”

“I—” Locke stopped. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I don’t want to force you or anything.” Ahri fiddled with a strand of her hair. “I’m just worried about you, and I want to know what’s going through your head to make sure it’s not anything dangerous.”

“It’s not,” Locke began. “But I’m beginning to think that I’m not right for this project.”

“What?” Ahri breathed, clearly shocked by the revelation. “What do you mean? Why?”

“I mean, I’ve already been threatened to be replaced before. It’s not like what I contribute isn’t valuable or anything. And a lot of producers, especially the ones already in the pop industry, can do what I do, only a million times better.”

“That’s not true—”

“But it is, Ahri,” he emphasized. “The only thing I’ve done for you guys was toy with your emotions. You, Evelynn, Kai’Sa, and Akali, all of you had some sort of interest in me, I would’ve been a 

fool not to see it.” Locke looked away from her. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore. Any of you.”

“That’s why you were packing, wasn’t it.”

“How did—”

Ahri chuckled. “You did a pretty poor job at hiding it. There was no way I wasn’t going to see it when I walked into your room.” Her cheery tone betrayed the sheer sadness in her eyes. “So, you were just going to leave without telling us?”

“I was going to tell you, but…” Locke trailed off, unable to find a reason.

“Locke, you’re not replaceable. We knew that, K/DA knew that, but our managers didn’t,” Ahri explained. “We knew that there was something special about you. All of us felt it, but it was Evelynn who brought it up first.” She paused to give Locke a moment to respond, when he didn’t, she continued. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out between you and Kai’Sa. And I’m sorry that she hurt you. But we’re all here for you still. As friends...” She cupped his cheek. “As something more, if you want.”

“Ahri…”

“I know. Bad timing.” A small smile crept across the pop star’s face. “But I wanted to let you know. Better late than never, huh?” She stroked his cheek with her thumb and leaned in for a gentle kiss. Ahri pulled away, tears pooling in the corners of her beautiful golden eyes. “Locke. I care about you. We all care about you. Please don’t leave us.” Ahri stood up. “You have a lot to think about.”

“I know.”

“Feel free to come down whenever,” Ahri said with a smile. “Do you want me to leave?”

Locke shrugged. “You can stay if you want.”

“Then I’ll stay. Do you mind if I lay down beside you?”

Locke shook his head and moved over so she could lay down beside him. As Ahri settled in, Locke rolled over and pulled his blanket over his head. He’d obviously known that Ahri had some feelings towards him, she showed it in how often she got close to him, how she moved whenever he was in the same room, how her eyes seemed to almost light up whenever he directly spoke to her. 

But he never wanted to act on it. For him, Ahri was just a really good friend, someone that he trusted ,and someone that he cared about. But he could never love her. Not because the feelings didn’t exist, but because he couldn’t bring himself to cause her the same pain that he caused Kai’Sa.

Locke, despite how difficult he found it to correct his mistakes, was a very self-aware person. He knew of his faults, he knew of his value, his self-worth, but for some reason, he could never find it in himself to correct those internal mistakes. He knew what was the source of this entire situation: his fear of causing pain to others.

Ahri stirred beside him. She had fallen asleep.

As Locke watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the way her mouth hung slightly open, the small bit of drool that dangled on the edge of her lips, and the sheer serenity that graced her face, he too eventually fell asleep, his face just as peaceful as the woman laying next to him.

**/;/**

After that night, Locke eventually repaired himself. He wasn’t sure what realization came to him that night, but when he awoke, the cold nugget in his chest had disappeared. Ahri had woken up before him, leaving Locke alone in his room. He quickly showered, shaved, and cleaned his face, painfully popping and cleansing any pimples that had revealed themselves over the last couple of days he spent in bed.

Changing into a fresh pair of casual clothes and making his bed, Locke returned to his reflection in the mirror. The man that stared back at him was cleaner, more refined. He gathered up his black hair into one hand, and used his other hand to tie it in a ponytail. It’d been years since his hair had gotten to this length, and he’d been planning on cutting it. But life tends to get in the way of plans.

Locke made his way downstairs after shutting off the light in the bathroom and closing the door behind him. It was morning, so all of the girls were eating breakfast and talking amongst each other. 

“Morning, Locke,” Ahri said as he stepped into the dining room.

Akali was grinning widely, her purple hair dye beginning to fade, revealing natural dark brown locks. Evelynn had a small smile on her face as she rested her elbow on the table and leaned her chin against her hand. Kai’Sa merely gave him a small nod before returning to eating her food. And Brianna, as always, gave him a worried look. He gave her a thumbs-up. The blonde bobbed her head and looked back to her laptop.

“Morning, ladies.” He pulled up a chair beside Ahri.

“We saved you some,” Ahri said and quickly retrieved a plate of food from the refrigerator.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Ahri removed the plastic wrapping and placed the plate into the microwave, letting it run for two minutes.

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Locke asked no one in particular.

“Album work,” Brianna stated flatly. “You’re behind schedule.”

“I know.”

“Ahri and Evelynn have a promotional shoot with some producers in two weeks. We need to decide on their new looks.”

Locke raised a brow at both girls. “I wasn’t aware you two were getting new looks.”

“It’s normal for comebacks, especially in K-pop,” explained Ahri. “Plus, we decided that we’d ditch this bad girl, chic look for something a little more subdued and more… ourselves.”

“Speak for yourself, Gumiho,” Evelynn said with a sly grin. “This perfectly suits me.”

Ahri rolled her eyes. “Anyways, all of us have to do some rebranding.”

“Do you have a rough idea of what you want to style yourselves as?” Locke asked as he retrieved his plate of food from the microwave.

“We have a couple of ideas,” Ahri said. “You’ll be the last to see, though.”

“Why?”

“No reason in particular.” Ahri gave him a wink.

Locke smirked. “Fair enough.” He sat down and began to eat. But each of the girls were staring at him with worry written plainly on their faces. He set down his utensils. “Alright, what’s going on?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Akali asked. “I mean… a lot has happened recently. And we were all really worried about you. We didn’t expect you to recover so quickly.”

“I did,” Brianna commented.

Akali shot her a weak glare. “ _Most_ of us didn’t expect you to recover so quickly.”

Locke shrugged. “Something just sort of changed me, I guess. A sudden burst of motivation, maybe.”

“Well, regardless of the reason why, all that matters is that you’re feeling better, right?” Ahri asked.

Locke nodded. He glanced at Kai’Sa. The dancer had been silent for nearly the entire time that he’d been in the room. She picked at her food absentmindedly, clearly not following the conversation, and the only times that she seemed to be listening were when Locke and Ahri were talking to each other. In those brief moments of paying attention, she’d given Locke a death glare.

The girls eventually dispersed to do their own things, leaving Locke alone with Brianna in the dining room as he quietly munched on his food.

“I think that I’m depressed,” Locke suddenly said.

“You think?” Brianna asked rhetorically. Locke gave her a look. “I’m just messing with you.” She looked at him seriously. “Do you really think so?”

“There’s a lot of fucked shit going on in my head right now.”

Brianna rested her elbows on the table. “I thought you were good.”

“You of all people should know that when I say that I’m good, I’m usually not actually good.”

“I thought things would be different now.”

Locke looked at her incredulously. “Seriously?”

Brianna shrugged. “I had faith in these girls. I still do.”

“What do they have to do with anything?”

“Locke, I’ve known you for years. I’ve been your best friend for years, but I still haven’t been able to help you overcome your trauma.” Brianna smiled at him, her eyes bearing the saddest gaze he’d seen in a long time. “But Ahri, Kai’Sa, Eve, and Akali have all made you smile and laugh more in two months than I’ve been able to in years. I want nothing more than to see you happy, and I genuinely believe that these girls can make you happy.”

“You make it sound like I should date all of them.”

Brianna sat in silence.

“Bri—”

“Locke, they’re all into you.”

Locke shook his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Why? If they’re willing, then why not?”

“I just don’t want it, alright?”

“Your loss.”

“Stop giving me shit.”

“Sorry.”

Locke rolled his eyes. He refused to believe that Brianna of all people was giving him a hard time about his relationships. “Whatever.”

Brianna’s gaze softened. “Key…”

“Just leave it.” Locke stood up. “I’ll be in the studio.”

**/;/**

The last thing that Locke wanted was to make anyone angry, much less be angry himself. But something about what Brianna said really ticked him off. He knew it was hypocritical of him to think that he was a monogamous person, but he really was. Sure, he slept with people, and he cheated on Kai’Sa, something that he would never, _ever_ do again. 

He needed to talk to her.

Locke groaned and leaned back in his chair. He hadn’t touched an instrument in a week, and his fingers were starting to grow stiff. But the album could wait. It wouldn’t be finished if he had unresolved tension with Kai’Sa, especially considering the fact that he was going to work with her on her solo track next.

After spending a few long minutes debating how to approach her, Locke found Kai’Sa in the dance room. The bassy music thumped through the glass doors, and he spotted her dancing furiously. He took a moment to admire how powerful and controlled her movements were. When he realized that he was staring for a little too long, Locke opened the door.

Kai’Sa met his gaze in the mirror and she stopped to turn towards him. “Can I help you?”

“I just wanted to check on you.”

The dancer raised a brow. “Why?”

“You seemed irritated at breakfast.”

She scoffed. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Kai’Sa, please,” Locke pleaded. “I’m trying to make things better between us.”

“Is there any reason why Ahri slept with you last night?” Kai’Sa asked.

For a brief moment, Locke wanted to ask how she knew, but he knew that would only lead to more conflict. “I asked her to.”

Kai’Sa’s eyes briefly lit up with anger. “Did you two have—”

“No!” Locke protested loudly. He flinched at his own volume. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“She and I didn’t have sex. We just slept in the same bed. I wasn’t even cuddling her or anything like that.”

“Good,” Kai’Sa mumbled. She crossed her arms. “Is that it?”

“No, I…” Locke trailed off, anxiety caught the words in his throat. “Nevermind.”

“Locke?”

“I’m sorry.”

Kai’Sa moved closer to him. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.” Her hand touched his.

Locke instinctively interlocked his fingers with Kai’Sa’s. Electricity sparked through his entire body. Once he realized what he was doing, he attempted to let go, but Kai’Sa kept her grip tight. “Kai’Sa.”

“You’re the one that did it first.”

He shook his head. “I’ve already hurt you.” Locke gazed into her purple eyes with nothing but fear and concern. “Don’t make the same mistake again. Please.”

“Why?” Kai’Sa asked. She reached up and cupped Locke’s cheek. “Why do you think me so fragile?”

“I…” Locke trailed off. He’d seen her cry. He’d seen her be vulnerable, but never fragile.

“I’m stronger than you think,” she said softly. “I’ve been horrible to you. And I’m really sorry.”

“It’s alright. I deserve it.”

“No one deserves to be treated like shit.”

“Even if they cheat?”

Kai’Sa chuckled. “Do you want me to hate you?”

“No.”

“Good. Because I didn’t want to either.” Kai’Sa gently caressed his hand with her thumb. “A man is better than the worst thing that he has done.”

Locke raised a brow at her. “Didn’t take you to be a philosopher.”

The dancer shrugged. “Just something I read.”

“So what now?”

Kai’Sa shrugged. “We can move on. You and I can officially break up now, and look back on our relationship as something to learn from.”

“Or?”

“We stay together. As a couple.”

Locke shook his head. “Let’s… try being friends first.”

“You’re friendzoning me?”

Locke chuckled. “No. Think of it as a courting phase. I like you. You like me. We should try going on dates… and other normal things between two people that like each other, instead of just jumping straight to sex.”

“I see.” Kai’Sa hummed. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Let’s do that instead.”

“Wonderful.”

**/;/**

“You should cut your hair,” Ahri commented as she pulled up a chair beside Locke. “It’s getting pretty long.”

The producer nodded. “I already made an appointment with a nearby salon. Kai’Sa also wanted a haircut, so we’re going together.” Locke opened the file for Ahri’s solo song on the album. The two had yet to come up with a title, so the name of the file was simply kept as _Ahri Song - Final_. 

About a week had passed since he and Kai’Sa made up, and during that time he traded time between working on the album, scheduling the year with Brianna, spending time with Kai’Sa, and also talking to the other girls. It was a different experience, not drowning himself in his work, but it was more than welcome. Whenever he did work on the album, it consistently felt like he produced better work instead of staring at the screen for hours on end and being inefficient with his time.

Over the course of the week, he’d managed to complete the song to a level that satisfied him.

“When are you leaving?”

Locke checked his phone. “Probably after we finish this listening.”

Ahri nodded. Locke had confronted her earlier in the week about her feelings for him. He let her down as easily as he could, but she simply told him that it was no problem; that she just wanted to see him happy, and as long as he was happy, she was happy.

“You ready?” Locke asked.

“I’m ready when you are,” Ahri bumbled.

Locke pressed play.

_(TAEYEON - All about you)_

The sound of a somber piano passed through the speakers, soon followed by Ahri’s soft voice. As Locke had said, her voice was largely unedited, and the only edits she made were to make it sound more acoustic and natural. As the song progressed, Ahri slowly swayed from side to side, clearly appreciating her voice as well as Locke’s ability to play the piano.

Locke heard sniffles coming from the young woman seated next to him as the song neared its end. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Ahri nodded and rubbed her eyes. “It’s just a lot to take in at once. I was worried when you told me that I was done after I finished recording my vocals.”

“Why?”

“Normally they want us in the studio to help make the rest of the song,” she said.

“I considered that,” Locke replied. “But I wanted to see what I could do alone with a song like this.”

“Fair.” Ahri smiled. “It’s wonderful, Locke. I can’t wait for this album to be released.”

Locke grinned. Excitement bubbled in his chest. “Me too>”

“So,” she began, “who’s next?”

Locke leaned back in his chair and stared almost blankly at the monitor. “Originally, I thought it would be Kai’Sa, but I think it’d be interesting to work on Akali’s next.”

Ahri looked at him curiously, but didn’t say anything.

“Do you have any ideas for what to name the track?”

Ahri’s reply was instant. “ _For You_.”

Locke chuckled. “Right on the head, huh?”

She blushed. “Shut up.”

“Are you still not over her?”

“I don’t think I ever will be,” Ahri replied with a flush. “It feels weird to say that to you.”

“It’s weird for me to hear it.”  
“Thank you for letting me down easy,” Ahri said softly. “And thank you for sticking around.”

“No worries,” Locke said. “You’ve got a whole life ahead of you, you know.”

“And you don’t?” Ahri asked exasperatedly. “Locke, your life is important too.”

Locke looked at her with the most sincere look of gratefulness he could muster. “Thank you, Ahri.”

**/;/**

As Locke inspected his new haircut using his reflection in the mirror, Evelynn whistled appreciatively. He’d gone from long, black hair that was usually kept in a ponytail to sporting shorter, ash-grey hair.

“Looks good,” the diva said as she approached her side of the bathroom sink. “I was waiting on you to cut it.”

Locke rolled his eyes. He still wasn’t entirely used to the new length of his hair, even a day after it had been cut. “Thanks,” he said as he finished inspecting it. His casual, friendly relationship with Evelynn was something that he didn’t expect, especially given her initial flirtations. But it was something he’d grown accustomed to, and something he’d come to expect whenever he and the diva were in the same room together. It also helped that the two shared a bathroom, which strangely kindled their relationship with one another. 

“What did Kai’Sa think?”

“She also thought it looked good.”

Evelynn nodded slowly. “So, have you decided on who to help with their solo track next?”

“Akali,” Locke said, having come to the decision last night. He thought that she would be the best candidate for it. The young rapper had some experience producing her own tracks, and it’d be an interesting way of finally sitting down and having some one-on-one time with her. He quickly checked the time. “I’ll see you later today, Eve. It’s about time I head downstairs.”

She waved at him. “See you around, Rebel.”

When Locke entered the studio, it was to his surprise to see that the lights were already turned on and a brown-haired rapper in silk pajamas was seated at the mixing console. Akali wore a pair of headphones and hovered her hands over a small black rectangle with numerous pads each alight with a bright color. Coming around behind the chair, Locke gently tapped her shoulder. “Don’t get too absorbed into it, Akali.”

The rapper flinched, causing her headphones to come loose. She glanced behind her and gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Locke sat on the couch, momentarily realizing that it was his first time doing so. “Do you wanna play what you were making?”

Akali nodded. “Sure.” She unplugged the headphones and changed the audio output to the studio’s speakers. She clicked play. Locke was bombarded with harsh claps and a chopped-up and repeating sample of a motorcycle revving its engine. A few seconds later, the bass jumped in, taking the center stage of the mix before the track suddenly came to an end. Akali carefully watched his reaction from her chair, and he could tell that she eagerly awaited his feedback.

“It’s certainly interesting.” Locke stood up and rewound the track, wanting to hear it again. “Definitely a lot of energy going on here.” He muted the claps and the bass so that only the motorcycle sample could be heard. “Where’d you get this sample?”

“I just found it online. Why?”

“If you want to use a sample, do your best to record it yourself.”

Akali frowned. “I don’t want to do that.”

“Oh? Why?”

“I kind of like how it sounds,” Akali said. She momentarily took the mouse from him. “It’s sort of choppy and unprofessional. It reminds me a lot of the stuff I used when I was just getting started making music.”

“I see.” Locke had to admit that he’d never done any research on hip-hop and rap and its entire culture. He was flying blind, so he had to take Akali’s word for it. “Well, you’re the resident expert on this sort of thing, so you should take the lead.”

“Me? Take the lead?” Akali looked at him quizzically.

“I don’t see why not,” Locke said. 

“Because I’m the youngest.”

Locke rolled his eyes. “That shouldn’t change anything. But you’re the expert on hip-hop, and I’ll do what I can to help you.” 

Akali pouted adorably. “Why can’t you do it? You did all the work producing for Ahri, why not me?”

“Because she’s never produced anything before, but you have,” Locke said with a slight smile. “I want to see what you can do. Don’t worry. I’m the last person to judge you for what you compose.”

“Fair.” The pout left Akali’s lips as she spun around in her chair. “Alright. Let’s see what I can do.” As Akali went to work, Locke watched from over her shoulder. The young rapper knew her way around the workstation and, within an hour, had a rough outline of her solo track. While Locke wasn’t used to the instrumentation, it was a messy mashup of samples, horns that were pitched too high, heavy 808 hits, sharp claps, and an extremely dry drum set. 

When it came to the hook, the entire composition exploded into a rhythmic party anthem. Even Locke found himself bobbing his head to the high pitched horns and banging drum hits. 

Akali momentarily stopped playing the track and glanced back at Locke. “Does it sound good?”

“Personally,” Locke began, “I think it certainly sounds… different than what I’m used to. But it sounds good for a party.”

Akali rolled her eyes. “What was I thinking, asking a classical composer for his opinion on a hip-hop track?”

“Hey, I might not know anything about hip-hop, but I can offer you some help on the mixing and composition.” Locke stood up and hovered above Akali’s shoulder, watching her struggle to properly mix the track. “Do you want to take a break?”

“I…” Akali looked at the time. She seemed momentarily surprised at the fact that an hour had passed since she began to work on the project. “Yeah. A break sounds good.” The rapper stood up and stretched, her hand nearly hitting Locke’s face. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” He motioned to the couch. “Sit. I want to talk to you.”

Akali raised a brow. “You sound like you’re about to lecture me.”

Locke smirked and sat on the chair that Akali was just sitting in. “I’m not. I just want to talk since I haven’t really ever had the time to talk to you one-on-one since I got here.” 

“Fair,” Akali said, sitting on the couch. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Well, we could start with how you started with music,” Locke reasoned. “I know that you grew up in a martial arts dojo, it must’ve been jarring to your parents when you said you wanted to pursue music.”

Akali chuckled. “Yeah. It was weird, that’s for sure. Especially after I told them that I got an offer from Ahri.”

“Why Ahri specifically?”

“Apparently people in my hometown loved her and held a lot of respect for her,” Akali explained. “But my parents were the stereotypical strict Asian ones, but they raised me well, and I’m grateful for that.”

“And being raised in a dojo?”

“Not much different from being raised in a regular home,” Akali said. “I just picked up a few tricks on how to defend myself.”

“So you can still kick some ass?”

The rapper smirked. “Yeah. I can still kick some ass.”

Locke leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. “Do you miss it?”

“Home?”

Locke nodded.

“I do.” Akali’s eyes glazed over as she looked through Locke. “Of course I miss being home. But K/DA is my new family, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” She sighed and breathed in deeply, as if she were trying to find the smell of her home once again. “What about you? What is K/DA to you?”

“Friends, definitely,” Locke said instantly. “But I’m not sure if I’m ready to call you girl family. Or anyone, really.”

“I understand.”

“Thanks.” Locke nodded to Akali. “So, what drew you to hip-hop over any other genre? From what I understand, it’s not something that people just stumble upon.”

“It was my good friends, Kennen and Shen, that introduced me to it. It was sort of a way to escape my family’s morals, not that they were bad or anything, but I wanted to be rebellious, and hip-hop helped me with that.”

“I see.” Locke bobbed his head. “But that can’t be the only reason you’ve been so committed to it for so long.”

“Oh, yeah, it definitely isn’t,” Akali said excitedly. “It’s a big source of my confidence, it’s helped me mature into a better person and a better artist, and it’s also made my writing infinitely stronger.”

“That’s good,” Locke said. “It’s always good to have something in your life that you can draw strength from.”

“What about you? What do you have in your life that you can draw strength from?”

Locke rubbed the back of his head and fought back a growing blush. “You guys.” When Akali rolled her eyes, he continued. “I’m being serious. It’s been a long time since I’ve had people other than Brianna who support me in the ways that you guys do.”

“What about True Damage?” Akali countered.

“I haven’t talked to them in awhile, not since coming here. They’re great people, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not as close to them as I am with you guys.” Locke was never one to put people on a pedestal. He spoke pragmatically about everyone that surrounded him and tended to not mince words regarding them whenever another person asked for his thoughts about them.

While he was certain that he hadn’t fallen out with True Damage, he regretted the fact that he hadn’t sat down to have a proper chat with them. He made a mental note to do so as soon as he could.

“Locke,” Akali began. She interlocked her hands and settled them in her lap. “Are you happy?”

The producer failed to hide his surprise. “I guess I am.” He snorted but there was no humor in it. “I’m happier than I was a couple months ago, that’s for sure.”

A small, satisfied small appeared across Akali’s lips. And then she nodded affirmatively. “Good.”

“You seem pleased to know that.”

Akali shrugged. “I think anyone would be pleased to hear that their friend is happy with how their life is currently going.”

“Fair.” Locke spun his chair around to face the monitor. “So, let’s get back to work on this track, shall we?”

The rapper grinned excitedly.


	10. Chapter Ten

The strenuous process of recording a track usually both immensely satisfied and exhausted Locke. But when it came to recording with K/DA, the exhaustion was entirely removed and the satisfaction was multiplied tenfold. After working for nearly six years in the scoring industry, Locke knew full well what it was like to be stuck in recording hell: to spend countless in the studio, recording over the course of tens (even hundreds) of hours, all for the project to either be scrapped or for the part that he worked on to be deemed as not necessary.

Of course, working with K/DA did not mean that everything was perfect, and that recording and producing a song was done in half the time, it simply meant that he enjoyed the process more. That being said, he couldn’t deny the fact that spending so much time in the studio didn’t drain him, it simply drained him less.

It was currently mid-January, and Locke and Brianna accompanied K/DA on their promotional shoot for their comeback. As a group, they’d discussed what to wear, how to style themselves, and what emotions and expressions they wanted to convey to their fans and audience. For Locke, seeing five girls talk about fashion and clothes was more mind-numbing than listening to a music professor dive into a rabbit hole about chords. He internally shivered. One of the most basic concepts in music could suddenly become one of the most complex depending on the perspective.

The producer, true to his nature, couldn’t really offer his thoughts when K/DA asked for them. The only thing he could say was whether it was pleasing to the eye or not. Which merely meant that Locke wasn’t a fashion guru, as Ahri and Evelynn were, but he knew how to dress himself if need be.

“Locke,” Brianna called, causing him to look up from his laptop screen. “They’re asking for you.”

“Who?”

“The girls,” she said exasperatedly.

“Ah, right.” Locke stood up and stretched. He was seated in the green room of the studio of a photographer named Sylvia Arabel. While the name was certainly not Korean, the woman who owned it was. He pushed open the green room door, hearing it ease shut behind him as he cautiously stepped into the studio. White flashes lit up the other side of the room, and he could hear instructions being shouted out. Locke had no idea that taking photos was such an engaging process.

As he rounded a corner, he was greeted with the overwhelming sight of four drop-dead gorgeous women. Each of them looked pristine and almost angelic, with their hair in perfect order, their makeup done professionally and beautifully, and their clothes in immaculate condition.

Ahri was seated on the far left, who dyed her previously golden blonde hair to a more natural-looking black, and wore a long, flowy stark white dress. A silver layered necklace with a gleaming yellow topaz gem at its center rested around her neck, and a pair of dangling diamond earrings graced her ears. Her trademark tails and ears weren’t attached to her for this photoshoot, nor any photoshoot after this. Ahri, as a surprise to everyone, said that she no longer wanted to wear tails and ears. The young woman’s pale skin seemed almost ethereal as she stared cooly into the camera. 

Evelynn, amusingly enough, was the first to take notice of Locke as he stepped into the room. Her amber eyes tracked his own, and the corner of her lip lifted into a sly smirk. The diva, over the course of the last two months, had let her short hair grow into a medium length bob cut, and in addition to the hairstyle change, Evelynn had redyed her hair from an electric purple to a black that matched Locke’s own midnight curls. But due to the brightness of her previous dye-job, some of the purple bled into her new hair, giving it an almost dark purple sheen. For this photoshoot, she wore a ripped black turtleneck and a pair of skintight latex black pants. Around her neck was an almost exact replica of Ahri’s necklace, except for the gem; for, instead of a topaz gem, it was a perfectly cut diamond.

Kai’Sa stood to Evelynn’s right, her arms crossed beneath her breasts. The dancer’s indigo hair was gone, recolored to a natural blonde that complimented the simple white crop-top and high-waisted white pants that she wore. Locke’s gaze wandered all across her, and Kai’Sa immediately took notice. A small blush found its way onto her cheeks, but she pushed it away and returned her attention to the flashing camera before her. Around her own neck was the same necklace that Ahri and Evelynn wore, but an aquamarine gem stood as its center instead of the other gems. 

Akali wore a bemused grin as she noticed Locke staring intently at Kai’Sa. As she sat on the stark white stool, she brought her left leg up and pulled it to her chest. Her midnight shorts revealed long, well-muscled legs, and to compliment the shorts, she wore a loose black tank-top. But the most eye-catching part of the rapper’s outfit was her jacket. Her old jacket from POP/STARS was redone, with black replacing purple. However, the dragon styling on the back remained, as Akali was rather attached to it, saying that it had to do with her father’s dojo. The same necklace embellished the rapper’s neck, but her gem was a shimmering jade.

“Alright, let’s take five!” Sylvia shouted. “Makeup, do a retouch. Stylists, make sure that none of their clothes have rips and try to reduce the reflectiveness of Kai’Sa and Ahri’s clothes. Lighting, make it a little dimmer.”

As the staff rushed to action, K/DA all said their thanks to Sylvia. Locke, meanwhile, leaned against the back wall of the photoshoot room and crossed his arms. Watching his close friends work so hard brought a smile to his face, and only reinforced his own determination. This album had to not only be good, but the album of the decade. 

The producer grinned. He was going to make these girls the greatest pop artists to ever grace the world.

“Lose the evil smile, Locke, it doesn’t fit you at all.”

“It’s not evil, Evelynn,” Locke countered. “It’s… a determined grin.”

Evelynn rolled her eyes. 

“Cut him some slack, Eve,” Ahri said with a small smile. “He’s been sitting in the green room, bored out of his mind.”

“Did you guys just call me out here just to bully me?”

“Kai’Sa asked for you,” explained Evelynn. “You two have been stuck at the hip lately.”

Locke shrugged. “We’re taking it slow. The last thing we want is to repeat what happened before.”

“Fair enough,” Ahri said. “A shame. I would’ve liked to have you for myself.”

Locke flushed. He wasn’t entirely sure whether or not she was joking. He made a mental note to confront her later about it. But for now… “Very flattering.” He glanced over the leader’s shoulder and saw Kai’Sa staring at him. “If you’ll excuse me, Kai’Sa is calling for me.”

“Whipped,” Akali whispered.

Locke ignored the young rapper and approached Kai’Sa.

“Still not used to seeing me like this?” she asked, throwing her blonde hair over one shoulder and giving him an incredibly sly and attractive smirk.

“I’ll admit, it was a little jarring at first,” Locke said. Kai’Sa’s transformation was the most recent of the girls.

“You still haven’t told me,” Kai’Sa began. “Do you like me better with this hair or my old hair?”

“This hair suits you better.” Locke ran a hand through the blonde locks. He’d always had a thing for blondes, and the fact that Kai’Sa was blonde only made it better. “But, to be completely honest, I still would be attracted to you with either hair color.”

Kai’Sa smiled. “Good.”

**/;/**

Locke sat underneath the dim orange lights of the studio. Next to him, Akali tapped on a live pad, her head and hair bobbing in time with the percussion line that sent chills down Locke’s back, and roused something primal within him. Once Akali finished, Locke sighed in contentment.

“When you said that you’ve produced before, I thought it would’ve been one or two songs.” Locke took the percussion that Akali recorded and organized it underneath the percussion section of the entire song. “But nothing like this.”

Akali shrugged. “It’s something that’s always come naturally to me, I guess.”

Locke knew full well what that was like. He’d always been strangely gifted in music, especially composition. His initial fears of being unable to compose something worthy of K/DA were dispelled the moment he got a feel for what pop music sounded like.

Over the last week of January, with promotional shoots, further scheduling for the year, and the discussion of a K/DA world tour, Locke somehow managed to fit in some studio time with Akali to finally finish up her track. And due to the rapper’s affinity for production— and her unrelenting determination— he allowed her to sit in the room while he mixed her solo track. Much to Locke’s surprise, the criticism that Akali offered was legitimate and helpful, instead of the usual drivel that he received from people that had little to no experience producing. 

“Locke, move the revving sample more towards the back of the mix but keep it in the center,” Akali commented while Locke struggled to find a proper place for the sample.

“Good call.”

Akali and Locke bounced ideas off each other seamlessly, as if they had spent an eternity together in the studio. The chemistry felt more natural than Ahri, despite the fact that Locke was closer to Ahri than Akali. 

A knock sounded at the studio door. “You two decent in here?” Evelynn asked.

“No,” Akali replied instantly. “Locke’s fucking me against the wall right now, don’t come in!”

“Akali—” 

The sound of the door swinging open cut Locke off. A dark purple-haired diva stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. A small pout graced her lips. “Aww. You two weren’t fucking?”

“Of course not,” Locke said, shaking his head. “What brings you down here, Eve?”

“Just wanted to listen in on our youngest’s solo track.” Evelynn crossed her arms under her chest. “Also, Brianna wanted to talk to you in her room, Rebel.”

Locke stood up and glanced back at Akali. “You gonna be okay working on this alone?”

“Don’t worry about me, Locke. If I need your help, I’ll call.” Akali gave him a thumb’s up and a small grin.

**/;/**

Locke stared intently at Brianna, his silver-gold eyes boring holes into her. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Brianna, who sat on her bed with her knees pulled tightly against her chest, slowly nodded. “The police never finished the investigation. And—”

Locke’s fist slammed into the wall, cutting Brianna’s words from her lips. “I _saw_ their bodies, Bri. With my own eyes.”

Brianna shook her head and unwound her legs, crawling towards Locke. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around one of Locke’s. “Don’t you remember? The police said that your sister went missing during the fire, not that she was dead.”

“I…”

“Locke,” Brianna began. She looked up at Locke.“I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m here for you. You know that.” Her hand grabbed his and held it tightly. 

Her hands were warm to the touch. “I…” Locke swallowed, and immediately Brianna began to rub her thumb against the back of his hand. He rested his chin atop Brianna’s head. “I’m so afraid. What if it’s not her? What if it’s just someone who found out about my family?”

“Even if there’s a chance that it’s not her,” Brianna said, “the chance that it is her is too great for you to pass this up. And this might sound selfish, but if Anastasia was— _is_ as great of a person as you describe, then I would very much like to meet her.”

“She was the best. She was the brightest thing that my family ever had.” A small smile graced Locke’s lips. “How did she reach you?”

“ _She_ didn’t reach me. The police did,” explained Brianna. “They called about an hour ago, saying that your sister was alive, then they left her number and informed me that she wanted you to call her using it.” Out of her pocket, Brianna produced a piece of paper with his sister’s number on it. She placed it in Locke’s waiting hand. 

With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Locke pulled out his phone and dialed the number written on the slip of paper. He lifted his phone to his ear. His heart hammered in his chest, and he could feel his hands begin to shake; but Brianna's hands tightened around his instantly.

“Hello?”

The light voice captured Locke’s breath in his throat. “Is this Anastasia?”

“Yes, it is. Who is this?”

“It’s… it’s Locke.”

He heard a gasp from the other end of the phone. “Hi.. Locke,” his sister said trepidatiously, as if she were afraid to even utter his name.

“Anna… I’m sorry,” Locke breathed. The apology came as a surprise even to him. “I—”  
Anastasia’s words cut through Locke’s own. “Locke, stop. Don’t apologize to me over the phone. Do it in person.”

The young woman’s forwardness surprised Locke, but he took it in stride. They lost their parents years ago, and it was certain that Anastasia had changed a lot in that time period, and her forwardness was also likely not that only thing that had changed about her. “Alright,” Locke said. “When do you want to meet?”

“As soon as you can find and board a plane to LAX.”

Locke momentarily muted the phone. “Find me a flight to LAX,” he said to Brianna.

The blonde nodded and began to search for flights with her phone.

“I’ll have a flight in five minutes,” Locke said once he unmuted the microphone.

“Good. I’ll see you in thirteen hours. And be ready to talk,” Anastasia said with finality. “Have a safe flight, Locke.”

The line went dead, and Locke dropped his phone from his ear. “That was… something.” While the conversation was not anywhere near as uncomfortable as he expected, he hadn’t at all expected Anastasia to be so… blunt. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly a decade. 

His younger sister was nearly twenty. 

“Your flight is in five hours,” Brianna suddenly said, drawing Locke from his stupor. “What are you gonna tell the girls?”

“That I need to make an emergency trip to the States.”

“And you’re just gonna leave it at that?”

Locke nodded. “Bri, I’m not a hundred-percent certain that whoever it was that called me was _actually_ Anastasia.”

“You certainly talked like it was.”

“Like I said, not a hundred-percent, but a fairly high percentage.” Locke let out a breath that he wasn’t aware he was holding. “Depending on whether or not it actually is Anastasia, it’ll either be a day-trip or a couple of days before I fly back to Korea.”

Brianna crossed her arms. “Fair.” She stood up. “I’ll start packing for you, while you tell the girls.”

As she began to step away, Locke grabbed her wrist. “Bri,” he said, looking at her eyes. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I have an idea,” Brianna replied. “And you’re very welcome.”

Locke smiled and released her wrist. He sighed. Time to face the music.

**/;/**

“Need to make an emergency trip to the States. I’ll be back in a few days,” Locke said to Ahri as she sat at her desk, the white light of her laptop illuminating and framing her face. 

Ahri spun around in her chair. “Is everything alright?” She asked, hesitant to pry.

Locke nodded. “My flight is leaving in five hours. So I’ll be going now.”

“Right,” Ahri replied. “Well, have a safe flight. I’ll tell the girls.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait,” Ahri called just as he was about to leave the room. “Did you already tell Kai’Sa?”

“I did.”

“How did she take it?” Ahri brought her knees to her chest.

“She just told me to have a safe flight, that’s all.”

Ahri smiled softly and gave him a small nod. “Well, like I said, have a safe flight.”

“I will.”

“See you in a bit, Locke.”

“You too, Ahri.”

**/;/**

Locke rolled his luggage up the ramp to the exit. The sound of a gathered crowd could be heard. Families patiently awaited the return of their loved ones from their flights from behind a metal fence. Locke stood on the balls of his feet and looked over the crowd. 

“Locke!” he heard a feminine voice call. 

His gaze shot to the origin of the voice. A young, pale-skinned woman with a beautiful face that seemed cut from diamond. Long and straight blonde hair came to a rest at the breast pocket of her black blazer. She looked as though she had just come from a business meeting, contrasted by the hostile look on her face and the arms that were crossed beneath her chest.

“Anna?” Locke asked, his voice steeped with trepidation.

She nodded. “Come, follow me.”

He hadn’t noticed it over the phone (and he couldn’t explain why), but Locke realized that she had an accent similar to his contacts and acquaintances from the United Kingdom. He fell into step beside her, at a distance that made him uncomfortable. This was his sister. It had to be. But he couldn’t shake how… different she was, how much she’d grown, and how much she had changed.

After a few minutes of silent walking through LAX and into the parking garage, Anastasia stopped at a midnight colored Mercedes-Benz. The young woman was clearly successful in her own right. “You can load your luggage in the back.” She pulled out a small black remote and clicked a button. The rear door of the Mercedes lifted open, and Locke placed his luggage bag inside.

“Are you going to drive?” Locke asked.

Anastasia looked at him incredulously. “Of course. It’s my car, isn’t it?”

Ah. “Right. Sorry.” Locke chuckled. He still couldn’t shake the idea that his sister was not only _alive_ , but successful, independent, and could _drive_. 

The car started with a gentle rumble. Anastasia began to drive, and music flowed out from the speakers. 

“Is this…?”

“It is,” Anastasia said.

It was _Good Things Fall Apart_.

“When this song was first announced, I thought the name was just a coincidence,” Anastasia murmured over the quiet. A collection of red and yellow lights lit up her eyes as she stared out into the traffic before the car. “But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wrong. And then I looked up your name.”

“That was the first time you searched me up?” Locke asked.

Anastasia shook her head. “I thought the composer Locke Willow was someone else. I even went so far as to watch interviews of you. You might look like my brother, but you are so different from how I remember him.” 

“Yeah, you’re telling me,” mumbled Locke.

“Precisely.” Anastasia momentarily glanced at him. “We can continue this conversation at our destination.”

“Which is?”

“A restaurant.”

**/;/**

Locke absentmindedly stared at the elaborate decorum that covered the walls and ceilings. A golden and glorious chandelier hung from the ceiling, the centerpiece of the entire restaurant. The quiet sounds of a viola and cello graced the atmosphere.

He followed the hostess to their booth table. The hostess opened the door to the table, and Anastasia stepped inside. 

“A room?” Locke asked the hostess.

“Ms. Fiona requested a private table for this evening,” the hostess explained. “Many of our guests prefer to have some privacy.”

“I see,” Locke said with a raised brow. He looked around and noticed how _empty_ the restaurant felt. The space between each table was so far apart, that overhearing a conversation would be nearly impossible. It felt so cold and foreign, the complete opposite of how Locke had been eating the last three months. He stepped inside the room, and the hostess bowed her head before shutting the door.

“Feel free to order whatever you want,” Anastasia said with a wave to the menu between the two of them.

“This place wasn’t cheap,” Locke observed. A small candle encased in a glass sphere sat between him and Anastasia. He flipped through the menu, nearly blanching at the price of some of the items. He might have been successful in his career, but to spend three-hundred dollars on a plate of salmon and caviar was simply unheard of.

“I’m a regular here,” Anastasia revealed calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “And with how much you make, I’m surprised that you’re not.”

Locke shrugged. “I don’t make it a point to spend my money. I’d rather save it.”

Anastasia hummed. She opened her mouth to speak, but their server knocked on the door. The young woman waved at the server to open the door.

“Would you two like anything to drink to start?”

“I’ll have water,” Locke said.

“And you, Ms. Fiona?”

“Montrachet White, please.”

“A bottle or a glass?”

Anastasia glanced at Locke. “A bottle.”

The server bowed. “Of course. I shall return with the bottle of Montrachet.” The door closed behind him.

Locke sighed. He knew what she was doing. “Anna, why?”

His younger sister looked up from her menu. “Why what?”

“Why are you trying this hard to impress me?”

She chuckled. “Don’t flatter yourself. I chose this restaurant because _I_ wanted to eat here, not so I could impress you.”

“Do you even _drink_ white wine?”

“Of course I— Wait, it’s white?”

“Exactly my point.” Locke looked Anastasia in the eyes for the first time that entire night. “Anna, you don’t need to impress me. I just… I would rather we just talk, catch up on the last ten years, reconnect.”

“Reconnect? After ten years? Ten years of solace? Of living without a family? After realizing that my own _brother_ left me after our parents died?” Anastasia scoffed. “ _Please_.”

“Then why did you ask for me to fly out here, why pay for a thousand-dollar bottle of wine, if it were not to impress me?” Locke rested his hand atop Anastasia’s. 

She jerked her hand away. “ _Don’t_ touch me.”

“Anna—”

“And don’t _dare_ call me that,” she whispered. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than a few hours to heal the last ten years,” Anastasia seethed. Her cold blue eyes bore holes into him.

“I know,” Locke retorted. “You aren’t the only one who’s been hurt by what happened. This is the first step. Reconnecting with each other.” He smiled at her. “I might be a little different, but I’m still your brother. I still care for you. We’re family, the only ones that we have left.”

“How are you the same?!” She cried. “You _left_ me. Just like you left us when you went to college.”

Locke slammed his fist into the table, cracking the expensive, aged wood. “Don’t you put their deaths on me.”

“If you were there, you could’ve saved them!” Anastasia shouted. “But no. You had to leave. You were always so selfish, focusing on yourself instead of staying home and helping Mom when you _knew_ that she was sick.” Anastasia jabbed her finger accusingly at Locke. Fury, anger, and rage marred her face.

“I went to school so I could help Dad pay for her medicine!” Locke began to shout over her. 

“Congratulations, Locke,” Anastasia spat. “Fat lot of good _that_ did you.”

“I…” The words died on his lips. “Yeah. I fucked up. I know. I’ve spent the last decade trying to make amends.”

“Can’t make amends with dead people,” she reasoned.

“But I can make amends with you,” Locke countered. 

“Never said I was exactly alive.”

“Our parents are six feet under in a grave near our house,” Locke said bluntly. “And you’re standing here, talking to your brother.” He sighed. “Anastasia. I’m sorry that I wasn’t home when it happened. I regret it every day of my life. Genuinely. It was unexpected, and something that I considered a possibility, but I always hoped that it wouldn’t happen to us. And when it did…”

Anastasia nodded. “It was… the scariest thing I’ve ever seen.” Her eyes wandered to the candle at the center of the table. “Seeing Dad try and fight the fire out of the room that Mom and I were in. When the flames took him, Mom told me to open the window and run. To leave her.” She chuckled darkly. “Imagine telling your thirteen year old daughter to run away from the only home she’s ever known, after just watching her father die.”

Locke sat in silence.

“I realized that I didn’t have much of a choice as the smoke began to make its way into the room. So I took whatever I could bring with me and ran. I didn’t stop running.” Anastasia continued to stare at the flickering flame. “I’m still running,” she breathed.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing criminal,” she reassured. “Just… running from the past, I suppose.” She looked up at Locke. The fury in her eyes was gone, replaced by something Locke couldn’t describe. “I…” Anastasia’s words caught in her throat. Her lip began to tremble. “I…”

Locke maneuvered around the table and sat beside her. He held out his arms, and Anastasia fell into his embrace. Wracking sobs began to pour out from her lips. Her pained cries stabbed Locke in the heart. And in that moment, Locke felt tears begin to fall down his own cheeks as well.

The two siblings drowned out their sorrows in each other. Ten years of pain, of hurt, of loss, of loneliness escaped them. Some time passed. How much, Locke wasn’t sure, but the server still hadn’t returned with their wine, which meant that either no time passed at all, or the server noticed they were arguing and thought it would be best to ignore it.

“I’ve been so afraid,” Anastasia choked out once the sobbing stopped. “I didn’t trust anyone. I told no one who I was. I’ve spent the last ten years living a lie. I was so ashamed of running, of leaving my parents to their deaths. I didn’t want anyone to know who I was.” Anastasia sniffled. “I’m sorry. For putting the blame on you.”

Locke ran his hand through his sister’s hair. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“You owe me an apology too.”

“I’m sorry, Anna. For leaving you. For not looking for you hard enough.”

“I forgive you. I didn’t exactly make it easy on you either.” she said. She cleared her throat and removed herself from Locke’s embrace. Anastasia picked up her menu once again and began to look through it. “Anyways, let’s have dinner, shall we?”

Locke smiled. “I thought you were a regular here?”

“Oh,” she smirked. “That was complete bullshit.”

“Never thought you’d grow up to be a sarcastic person,” Locke said.

Anna shrugged. “A lot happened in the last ten years.”

“What do you want to do after this?” Locke asked.

“Well, I have a place in Beverly Hills.”

“You live in Beverly?” 

Anna nodded. “In case you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty successful too.”

“What do you do?”

The young woman smirked. “Paint.”

**/;/**

Locke and Anastasia sat beside one another on a pale blue sofa in Anastasia’s home in Beverly Hills. An open bottle of red wine sat on the coffee table before them, two half-empty glasses on either side of it. On the television, a hardcore action movie played. Gunshots, shouting, yelping, and the sound of people dying could be heard.

Locke picked up his glass and held it before Anastasia. “To my dear sister, world-renowned artist, millionaire, and a fan of shitty action movies.”

She rolled her eyes, but a grin betrayed her countenance. “Fuck off.” She grabbed her own glass and clinked it against Locke’s. Both siblings sipped the wine, and Anastasia placed the glasses back on the table. “So,” Anastasia began, “what’s it like working with K/DA?”

“Stressful. Fun. Can sometimes be a pain.” Locke smirked, thinking about Akali’s penchant for using him as a training dummy whenever she needed to practice her martial arts forms. “But very, _very_ rewarding.”

“As in they have sex with you?”

Locke nearly choked on the wine that he was about to drink. “Christ, Anna.You’re seriously asking your brother about his sex life?”

The young woman shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I? If I had sex, you’d be the first person I would tell.”

“Why? Not any of your friends?”

“They’re all business and no pleasure,” Anastasia explained. “And—”

“Wait, you’ve never had sex?”

She sighed. “And here I was, hoping you’d missed out on that slip.” She crossed her legs. “Yes, I’ve never had sex. But it’s not like I’m eager to. I’m perfectly fine masturbating and—”

Locke plugged his ears and made loud, incessant noises in an attempt to silence his sister. Hearing his sister, who he still sort of considered a teenager, casually talk about masturabation made him cringe and uncomfortable in the worst ways possible.

Anastasia laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that completely betrayed her prim and proper demeanor. “Calm down, Locke.”

“Anyways, I’ve been meaning to ask: how’d you pick up that accent? Did you move to the United Kingdom or something?”

She shook her head. “A European immigrant family found me. They were all from the U.K.” Anastasia smiled softly. “I miss them terribly.”

“Where are they now?”

“Still in the States, and still taking in kids with no place to stay.”

“Like an orphanage?” Locke asked.

“Sort of. Except without all of the red tape and drug abuse.”

“I see.”

Anastasia nodded. “They were very kind to me. They introduced me to a bunch of hobbies. When they found out I had a talent for art, they made me attend art class that they could afford, in addition to taking art classes in school.”

“And you never told them your name, did you?”

She nodded once again. “I was Fiona Rivellon, not Anastasia Willow.”

“And your pen name?”

“Stasia.”

“How very video-gamey of you,” Locke commented.

Anastasia shrugged. “Your fault, not mine.”

“Fair.” Locke glanced at the short shelf beneath the television. He noticed numerous game consoles, controllers, and board games. “Have people here often?”

She nodded. “My agent makes it a point to host parties whenever I have a painting that’s going to be released soon. That and I enjoy playing in my spare time.”

Locke stood up and pulled open a drawer that contained the games that Anastasia owned. He flipped through them. “Uncharted and Last of Us?”

“All-time favorites of mine.”

“I worked on the scores for those games,” Locke said.

“Seriously?” Anastasia asked.

“Mmhm.”

“I guess I was blind to it all.”

“As was I,” Locke replied. He glanced at Anastasia before turning his attention back to the drawer. “Divinity 2?”

“Your fault, not mine.”

Locke scoffed. “How is it my fault that you bought this game for yourself?”

“You got me hooked onto role-playing games,” she explained. “That’s why.”

Locke conceded the point to her. “Did you want to play anything?”

Anastasia shrugged. “We can do anything.”

Locke pulled out the Divinity 2 case. “Great, because I’ve been wanting to play this game with someone for awhile now.”


	11. Chapter Eleven

Locke looked at Anastasia as she helped him load his luggage into her car. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asked. He’d spent the better part of a week with his sister, but he knew that it was nowhere near as much time as either would’ve liked.

Anastasia shook her head, her blonde hair mimicking the movement. “I’m a busy woman. And you’re a busy man.” A lecherous glint appeared in her eyes. “Especially with four gorgeous women pining after you.”

“I told you, I’m only actively pursuing one of them,” Locke said exasperatedly. He was growing rather tired of Anastasia’s constant teasing, he chose, however, to let it go. 

His sister raised a brow at him as she closed the rear door of the car. “But you’re not against them sharing you?”

Locke cringed. He loved K/DA dearly— all of his previous friends couldn’t compare to them— but having to date all of them at the same time was the last thing that he would ever want. Sure, they were all wonderful people, and they were all likely amazing partners individually. However, none of them deserved anything less than the perfect partner; and, even with Kai’Sa, Locke continuously felt like he was nowhere near good enough for her. “For your information, I am  _ entirely _ against it.”

Anastasia seemed pleasantly surprised at the reveal. “Good. Because you should be.”

“Oh? Surprising, considering how many times you’ve joked about it.” Locke opened the passenger-side door and entered the car. 

Anastasia started the Mercedes, giving Locke a sideways glance. “Just because I joke about something doesn’t mean I want to see it happen. Give me a little more credit here, Locke.”

“Right. Sorry.” He pursed his lips.

“Don’t be sorry—”

“Just don’t do it again,” Locke finished. He smiled. “I hated it whenever Dad said that.”

“He wasn’t wrong, though.”

He scoffed. “Even in his grave, he’s still teaching us something.” Locke leaned his head against his resting hand and looked out of his window. As strange as it was to say, he actually missed Los Angeles, and even more, his apartment. 

“Doing a lot of thinking there,” commented Anastasia as they sat at a red light.

“Just kinda miss my house.”

“I think Korea is a much better place to live than Los Angeles.”

Locke shrugged. “Maybe. It’s home, though.”

Anastasia chuckled. “Can’t imagine living in a place that wasn’t Los Angeles.”

“Not even the U.K.?”

Anastasia scoffed. “Definitely not. Have you seen the size of my house?”

Locke laughed. “Fair.”

The drive to LAX continued in silence. But not an uncomfortable one. As Anastasia played some music, both siblings quietly sang along to the song as it played through the speakers of her car. It felt strangely normal, despite the fact that the two had only recently seen each other after nearly a decade after the fire. Before coming here, Locke had worried that there would be animosity and irreparable hatred between him and Anastasia. He felt as though he deserved that much. But he was wrong. 

He’d come to accept pain as normal, and when it didn’t come… it didn’t feel normal.

**/;/**

Ahri laid on Kai’Sa’s bed, her pale legs crossed over one another. She kept her black hair in a loose and casual ponytail, the slightest bit of grease apparent through her locks. With her phone in her hand, she glanced at the blonde dancer. “So, how are you and Locke doing?”

“Better than we were a month ago,” Kai’Sa said, spinning her chair to face Ahri. Her computer quietly thrummed atop her desk, the white and gold case lights making it almost ethereal in appearance. The light from the monitor cast her shadow on the far wall of her room. “Why are you asking?”

“I just wanted to check in,” explained Ahri. She set her phone down as a miniscule smile grew on her lips. “To be honest, I’m jealous of you two.”

Kai’Sa chuckled. “Should I be worried?”

Ahri smirked. “Only if you two ever break up.”

Kai’Sa rolled her eyes. “Well, we aren’t officially together yet.”

“But you two might as well be,” Ahri finished. “I don’t want to come between you two. I love you both, and I want nothing more than to see you two happy.”

“What does that say about you? Why don’t you want to see yourself happy?”

“It’s not that.” Ahri turned her gaze away from Kai’Sa. “Locke’s a great guy, but I don’t think I could ever see myself with him.”

“Why?”

Pink tinged the singer’s cheeks. “I have other interests.”

“Sona?”

Pink became red. Ahri nodded. 

Kai’Sa’s face lit up. “That’s great! I’ll be honest, I was a little worried about your relationship with him.”

Ahri shook her head. “No need to worry. He’s like a brother to me. Someone I know will always watch my back.” The singer’s gaze flicked back to Kai’Sa. “Do you think you’ll be with him forever?”

Kai’Sa stood up from her chair, her purple eyes glinting in the darkness. She sat on her bed beside Ahri. “I’m not sure. Life’s unpredictable. Especially the ones we lead.”

Ahri raised a brow. “What’s giving you second thoughts? Besides… well… you know.”

“With the album on the horizon, if rumors about our relationship came out, it’d be a big problem,” Kai’Sa explained. “More than we can handle right now, I think. And more than that, I’m afraid that he’ll do something rash again.”

Ahri nodded. She fell backwards onto the bed, her blonde hair splaying out on the comforter. “He’s definitely an interesting one. Incredibly talented. Fashionable. Sexy. But sort of tragic, with what he told us about his family.” Ahri glanced at Kai’Sa. “Does that worry you?”

“Of course it does,” Kai’Sa said. “It should worry everyone.”

“He’s meeting his sister after all this time too.” Ahri pouted. “It’s hard to imagine that. Meeting your sister after thinking she’s been dead for so long?”

“But he’s strong. He’s lived all this time with that pain,” Kai’Sa said. “This is his chance to free himself of it.”

“He’ll be able to.” Ahri smiled. “He’s more than strong enough.”

Kai’Sa beamed. “He should be on his way back.” The dancer glanced at her phone. “Should be getting a text in about—”

Her phone did a little jingle as its screen lit up.

“There it is.” Kai’Sa grabbed her phone and read the text aloud. “Boarding now. See you in twelve hours.”

Ahri sat up. “Great. We should probably get back to work.” Glancing at Kai’Sa’s computer screen, Ahri noticed that she had a notepad open. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was lyrics. For Kai’Sa’s solo song. She glanced at the dancer. “Did Locke help you with this?”

“No, that’s… that’s all me.” Kai’Sa flushed.

_ My body and head are spinning _

_ How are you feeling now? _

_ We were like a magnet _

_ We hug and push aside. _

“You’re gonna sing it in Korean?” 

Kai’Sa nodded. “We have a good mix of Korean and English songs so far. And my part in POP/STARS was mostly in English. Need to show the fans some diversity, right?”

“Good idea,” Ahri complemented. She brushed off her shorts. “I’ll catch up with you later, alright?”

Just as she was about to leave, Kai’Sa called out to her. “Hey, Ahri?”

Golden eyes met electric indigo.

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” Kai’Sa said.”For checking in on me.”

**/;/**

It was mid-afternoon by the time Locke arrived in Seoul. And he was picked up by Evelynn once again. Only the car was different this time. What was previously a classic Lamborghini was now a cream-colored McLaren. Locke wasn’t even sure what model it was.

Evelynn rolled down the window. “You just gonna stare at my car, or actually get in?”

Locke motioned to his luggage bag, which was really just a duffel bag. At his gesture, the trunk lifted open. He placed his bag into the trunk, then returned to the front and got in the McLaren. He relaxed into the seat as Evelynn unparked the car and began to drive down the road.

Evelynn drove in silence for sometime, not even sparing a glance in Locke’s direction as she sped past another car. The bass of whatever song she played thrummed the interior of the car. About ten minutes from the K/DA house, she pulled over to the curb, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the stick shift. She looked at Locke, amber eyes almost gleaming in the sunlight. “How did meeting your sister go?”

Locke scoffed. “Straight for the jugular, huh?”

The siren shrugged. “Did you expect anything else?”

“I didn’t,” Locke said with a smile. He leaned back in his seat even further, even going so far as to recline the chair and bring his hands up to the back of his head. “She’s doing well. And is apparently a world-renowned painter.”

“What’s her name?”

“Stasia.”

Evelynn’s eyes turned into headlights. “Stasia?! Her paintings go for no less than a million dollars every time she finishes one. I’ve even seen one up to ten million…” The diva sighed. “Wow. Two talented siblings raking in millions of dollars a year.”

“Please,” Locke said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m not as successful as she is.”

“Yet here you are, working alongside K/DA.”

“My talent got me here,” Locke countered. “Not my success.”

“Fair.” Evelynn smiled softly. “And how are you holding up?”

“Well enough.” Locke exhaled heavily. “Our initial meeting was… fierce, but we eventually worked it out. A lot faster than I expected too.”

“That’s how it goes for siblings,” Evelynn explained. “You fight. You hate each other. Then you realize you’re still family, that you love each other, and you make up.”

Locke nodded. Then, he glanced at Evelynn. “You have a sibling?”

The siren eyes drifted from Locke to the front window. “It’s a long story.”

“Maybe you’ll tell me some time? Over a drink?” He offered.

“Taking me out on a date, Rebel?” Evelynn asked with a coy smile.

“Not what I intended, and you know that,” Locke deadpanned.

Evelynn chortled. “Sure. Why not?”

“Good,” Locke said. “Now let’s go home. I’m exhausted.”

**/;/**

“I’m home!” Locke called, his voice echoing throughout the first floor of the house. For some reason, he was expecting some sort of grand celebration when he returned. But when Kai’Sa came rushing down the stairs and into his arms, those expectations faded into nothingness.

She leapt into a hug, her silky blonde hair covering his face as she rested her head into the nook of his neck. “I missed you.”

Locke smiled softly. “It was only a few days.”

“It felt like an eternity to me,” she breathed. Her arms pulled him in even closer. Somehow.

“Kai’Sa… crushing… me,” Locke struggled.

In an instant, she peeled herself off of him and stepped back. “Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Alright you two lovebirds, we’re not filming a k-drama here,” Evelynn interrupted as she closed the front door and stepped into the home.

“She’s right,” Ahri commented, appearing from the kitchen with a piece of toast in her hand. She idly munched the toast, swallowed, then spoke once again. “Did you eat?”

Locke nodded. “Airplane food.” He glanced around. “Where’s Akali and Bri?”

“Rogue’s been in the studio since you left, and Brianna hasn’t left her room since breakfast,” Ahri answered. She extended a hand to Locke. “I can take your stuff up while you go find them, if you want.”

Locke shook his head. “I can do this much.” A smirk appeared on his lips. “Though, if you do want to help me out, maybe cook me something for me in a bit? I’m gonna help Akali with her solo song after I finish unpacking.”

“Sure,” Kai’Sa interjected. “Is bibimbap fine?”

In response, Locke’s stomach growled.

The three girls laughed, a sound Locke desperately missed. Even then, he attempted to hide himself in the sleeve of his jacket. 

“Sounds fine,” Evelynn commented.

Ahri giggled. “Definitely does.”

“Anything else you want to eat,  _ dear _ ?” Kai’Sa teased, intentionally lowering her voice to an almost sultry level.

Locke groaned. “You guys suck.” He dragged himself up the stairs, ignoring the rest of the girls’ teasing. But, once he got into his room, he began to laugh to himself. A few days… and he’d already missed their company this much. Despite that, he couldn’t help but feel that something was different. Something within him had changed. And as he began to unpack, he wondered to himself:

Did he really deserve to be this happy?

**/;/**

“This is…” Locke trailed off as he stared, open-mouthed at Akali. The young woman sat before the mixing console, laptop screen pulled open, the bright LED screen illuminating the darkness of the studio. From the speakers, a high-energy, banging rap song played. The intricacy of the sample that Akali found perfectly melding with the simplicity of the drums, her flow, and the vocal delivery. Despite the small lapses in the mixing of the vocals, drums, and synths, the track that Akali had produced nearly all on her own was mind-blowingly good.

But one thing stood out to Locke above all else.

Akali’s rapping.

It was catchy, energetic, powerful, and full of attitude. Even the ad libs she recorded were just as, if not more hype than the main vocal.

As the song reached its height, complete with heavy drums, claps, and vocal chants, it exploded into a hook that Locke  _ knew _ would get people moving. It nearly got him to do so. 

When he first sat in the studio with Akali, he was worried that the track would derail from what was already a good basis. But it seemed that his worries were misplaced. This track was a banger.

“This is…?” Akali asked, pausing the song right in the middle of its hook.

“It’s really fucking good, Akali,” Locke said with confidence and sincerity.

The rapper shot to her feet, the chair flying backward. “Really?!”

Locke nodded. “Yes. Really. You’ve outdone yourself.” He stood up and approached the laptop. “Do you mind pulling up the project?”

Akali sat back down. “Yes! Of course.” She was positively beaming. Her eyes glinted with so much joy and energy that even Locke found himself grinning.

While she pulled up the project file, Locke grabbed the nearest chair and placed it next to Akali. He rested his elbows on the arms of the chair. “The song was amazing. Only thing we need to edit is your mixing.”

She nodded. “Right, right.” Akali rubbed the back of her head. “I was kind of confused on that stuff. Mixing always confused me.”

“It takes a while to understand it fully, and a lot of experience,” Locke explained. “Simplest thing you can do? Listen to it across as many forms of playback as you can. Be it headphones, speakers, your car, even a phone’s speakers. If it sounds good or great across all of those, then you’ve probably mixed it decently.”

“That sounds… too easy,” Akali said.

“Like I said: simplest thing you can do.” Locke grabbed the sides of the laptop as it finalized loading the project. As he expected, Akali hardly organized her tracks, and only used equalizers to adjust to mixing— which worked for demos and such, but not for songs that were eventually going to be released to the public. There was a lot more work to be done, it seemed.

Locke cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck. “Let’s get some mixing done!”

**/;/**

About two whole hours later, Locke let out a long sigh and fully leaned back into his chair. He stared up at the ceiling. His hands dangled at his sides. “We’re done. Finally done.”

“Sorry…” Akali trailed off. “I made you explain so much.”

“Don’t apologize. I like teaching,” Locke said. “Your questions were very good, so it made me rethink some things.” He looked at Akali and smiled. “You’re learning and so am I. Overall, it was a very productive two hours.” He pointed at the laptop. “And we’re pretty much done with your solo song!”

“Yeah!” Akali cheered, pumping a fist into the air. She smiled wildly.

Quickly saving the project, Locke closed the laptop and stood up from his chair. “Let’s get out of here. You’ve been cooped up in this room for a little too long.”

Akali nodded. “I’m pretty hungry, but I wanted to finish the song before I got out.”

“I get it, I get it,” Locke said. He moved towards the door and opened it. The afternoon sun flooded the room. Locke shielded his eyes. He felt like a goblin coming out of a cave. With Akali at his heel, the two made their way back up the main floor of the K/DA house. What awaited them was a table of six hot stone bowls of bibimbap, the steam rising from each bowl.

Akali’s stomach growled. “Wow. I’m… starving.”

Locke chuckled. “Yeah. Me too.”

Everyone was already seated, and once Kai’Sa spotted Locke and Akali, she waved them over. Locke sat beside Kai’Sa and Brianna, his hands already reaching for the chopsticks beside his bowl. He looked over at Akali and saw that she was doing the same.

“Guess you two have been hard at work?” Ahri asked in the middle of them already sticking their chopsticks in the bowls..

“We finished her solo song,” Locke said as he mixed his bibimbap. “Took about two hours to mix everything.” He pointed his chopsticks at Akali. “You would not believe how many tracks she had.”

The rapper flushed. 

“How many?” Ahri asked. “I had no more than what… like five?”

Locke nodded. “Five.”

“I had around fifty. Maybe more,” Akali confessed.

“More like eighty,” Locke shot back.

The other girls looked appalled. 

“Eighty tracks?!” Kai’Sa exclaimed. “That’s about as many as POP/STARS had!”

Akali clapped her hands together. “I’m sorry! I made Locke work really hard.”

Locke waved her off as he chewed. “Don’t sweat it. I’ve worked on pieces that had almost three hundred tracks.”

That comment sent everyone’s head spinning.

“Three hundred tracks?” Akali asked, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“As expected of our producer,” Kai’Sa commented, a proud smile on her face.

Evelynn sat in silence as she attempted to imagine how long it would take a track to mix.

Ahri pursed her lips and simply nodded. 

Brianna smirked.

Locke nodded. “Yup. Three hundred. It was the last track on the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Episode IX. Almost eleven minutes of a full orchestra recording.”

“Unbelievable,” Akali murmured.

“Anyways,” Locke said. “I suppose I should tell you all about how meeting my sister went?”

**/;/**

“That’s it?” Akali asked.

Locke nodded.

“Wow. You’d think with all of those years being on her own, she would’ve been a lot angrier with you,” Kai’Sa commented from the kitchen. The sound of running water covered up the silence that followed.

Locke was, once again, inclined to agree.

“It’s fortunate that you two worked it out quickly,” Ahri said with a smile. “I’m glad that you’re doing okay now, Locke.”

“Thanks, you guys.” Locke grinned. “But besides that, we need to get back to work. We do have an album to be released by the first day of fall. It’s mid-January, and we only have two tracks finished.” He stood up and stretched. “Who’s up next?”

When no one raised their hand, Locke sighed. “Kai’Sa?”

“Yes!” The dancer yelped, dropped the hot stone back into the sink with a  _ crash! _

“Are you… okay?” Locke asked.

She nodded.

“Do you have an idea of what kind of song you want to write?”

She nodded once again.

“Okay, great!” Locke put his hands on his hips. “Head down to the studio, I’ll finish up the dishes.”

“Okay,” Kai’Sa murmured. She set down the hot stone bowl and dried off her hands. With a small wave at the other girls, she disappeared upstairs before returning, laptop in hand, to the studio.

“Well,” Evelynn trailed off. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you two to keep it down?”

Locke, who was beginning to wash the dishes, didn’t even look up from his task. “Evelynn?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

Everyone but Evelynn laughed.

**/;/**

Kai’Sa waited patiently on the studio sofa. She stared at her laptop screen, the few lyrics she’d written on a notepad staring back at her. After a minute, she closed the laptop and buried her head in her hands.

“What am I so worried about?!” She groaned. “He’s not gonna judge me…” The dancer frowned. “Everyone else’s songs probably sound amazing. And mine is…”

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to the studio opening and Locke stepping inside.

"Are you okay?" Locke asked, seeing the look on her face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kai'Sa shook her head. "Sorry. I just... I had an idea for my track."

Locke raised a brow. "Really? Great!"

Kai'Sa shrugged and laughed awkwardly. "I mean, it's not like it's any good, but..." She attempted to meet Locke's eyes, but couldn't.

Locke noticed.

He sat down beside her, bringing his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close to him. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Just… nervous, I guess?”

“That you won’t be able to make a song as good as the others?”

Kai’Sa pulled away. “Are you a mind-reader?”

Locke shook his head and chuckled. “I’m not. I just know you. You’re a dancer, Kai’Sa. You shine when you perform live, when people can see you move. It’s entrancing. But that isn’t to say you can’t sing or rap,” Locke said, staring into her eyes. “Ahri and Evelynn may be great singers, and Akali may be a world-class rapper, but that doesn’t diminish your talents. After all, you’re part of the group. Without you, K/DA wouldn’t have their legendary, catchy choreography.” He stood up.

“Oh no… Locke—”

Raising one hand above his head, and the other at his waist, Locke began to dance to POP/STARS. Even though it wasn’t playing.

_ “Ain’t nobody bringing us down, down, down, down, down, down _ …”

As Locke danced, Kai’Sa broke out into an uproarious laughter. It was embarrassing watching him dance. It was entirely, extremely, and utterly embarrassing. But she watched on. She cheered, yelped, and grinned.

“Woohoo!” She shouted, her fist pumping in time with his steps.

The producer could keep time. But he could _ not _ dance to save his life.

Eventually, after a full two minutes of dancing, Locke sat back down beside Kai’Sa. 

“See?” He said, inhaling heavily. “Without you, there wouldn’t be what you just experienced. That joy, happiness, and excitement at seeing a live performance.” Locke smiled at her. “Right?”

“Right,” Kai’Sa breathed. The dancer rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the silence that encompassed the studio. She listened to Locke’s gentle breathing, and before she knew it, Kai’Sa was fast asleep.

**/;/**

Locke glanced down at the blonde dancer of K/DA. He smiled softly.

Kai’Sa’s mouth hung open as she fell asleep on his shoulder. Her blonde hair fell over her eyes. Brushing it aside, he ran a hand through her hair, following it down to her shoulder. He massaged her shoulder, listened to her breathing, and sighed in contentment.

He… he could get used to this.

But a thought creeped into his mind, like a shadow that eternally followed him.

Did he deserve this happiness? Was this something he earned? Did he deserve to be with Kai’Sa? To be surrounded by such good-natured, talented people? To have the opportunity to work alongside them?

And what if he failed them? What then? What if what he made wasn’t good enough? What if he disappointed everyone?

Countless doubts polluted his mind. It choked his thoughts. It infected every inch of his brain.

He was suffocating. And he knew it.

But he did his best to push those thoughts aside.

Locke would deal with it when the time came.

For now, the album took precedence.

He looked down once again at the serene, sleeping form of Kai’Sa.

_ She _ took precedence.


	12. Chapter 12 (FINAL UPDATE)

Hello. Unfortunately, this update is an unfortunate one. Ever since this story was released, it has garnered a great amount of attention and attraction from the community. For that, I am incredibly grateful to every single one of you that have followed, favorited, reviewed, or simply read the story. You have no idea how much it means to me.

However, I have run this story into the ground, I believe.

When it comes to conflict and challenges that are faced by Locke and K/DA, they are sparse. For the most part, the story feels and reads as if it were just an extended piece of fluff. It's not a real story in my opinion. And because of that, it's difficult for me to write it.

**I have to write something with substance.**

So, I this update is an announcement of the **rewriting of The Producer.**

It will look nothing like this story, and will feature a new cast of original characters. Most importantly, however, it will have a real conflict. Both interior and exterior conflicts.

Important notes for this rewriting include:

 **(1)** **The removal of Locke and Brianna.** These characters lacked substance, they were flat, and they did not grow and change from beginning to the story's current place.

 **(2) The restructuring of the K/DA universe.** With the K/DA's comeback on the rise, and the release of the _Harmonics_ comic series, the universe of K/DA has expanded beyond this iteration of _The Producer_. So, the new story will feature all of these new changes.

 **(3)** **Seraphine.** Seraphine will play a major role in the rewriting of _The Producer_. She is not the main protagonist, but she will feature heavily.

 **(4)** **Release Date.** Due to the nature of school right now, it's easier to write and still stay up to date with assignments. However, I have a few midterm assignments on the way, a job to attend, and a new computer to pay for. As of right now, look for the rewriting of The Producer

**To Be Released: October 31st, 2020**

_If not earlier..._

I will not be deleting this story from my page. If people still want to view it, they will be able to. However, as of this update, I will no longer be updating this story and it is by all means **discontinued.**

Additionally, I know have a Discord. Feel free to join using this link: discord.gg/zAvF7yX

As a final note, **thank you so much to everyone that has read this and is looking forward to the rewritten version**. With my other story nearing the completion of its first book, I will have more time to write this new story. And once again, this story will be released on **October 31st, 2020**.

Thank you so much.

With love,

Aquilarion


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